Seekonk Superintendent Promises Parental Notification

Seekonk Public Schools Superintendent Rebecca Kidwell said parents are being notified about the content in human sexuality classes and health classes.

“Beyond that formal policy, all teachers at the secondary level are encouraged to regularly and transparently communicate with families by sharing a syllabus with relevant topics, titles, and themes for each course,” Kidwell said Thursday. “At the elementary level, teachers are encouraged to provide regular updates to families about topics and books in the classroom.  This type of communication allows any individual concerns to be resolved proactively between the teacher and the family.”  

Last December, the Seekonk School Committee waived a first reading of the proposed Health Education Parental Notification policy.

Committee members Kyle Juckett and Noah Escaler wanted parents to be notified if potentially inappropriate material was going to be taught in schools.

“I think we need to empower parents to be able to have control over specific pieces of education that’s coming before their kids,” Juckett said at the December 11 meeting.

“I just really want to give the transparency and the ability for those parents, any parent, with any safeguards that wants to challenge this, to have the opportunity to do it in a manner that they’re angered with time elapsing with no answers,” Escaler said. “I just want to see an expedited process to answer these questions civilly.”

Last July, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released a 46 page draft of a new curriculum framework for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.

DESE solicited feedback from parents and educators about what should be taught in schools.

DESE outlined seven practices, including decision-making and problem solving, self-management and goal-setting, social awareness, relationship and communication skills, movement skills, and self-advocacy and health promotion.

Some parents have stated their objections to elementary school children being taught about gender identity and same-sex relationships. One parent referred to such content as “garbage.”

Kidwell said the school district is “engaging all stakeholders in a curriculum review process regarding health education.”

There are no plans to present material of an adult nature to elementary students, Kidwell noted.

“Decisions about how to implement the updated DESE health frameworks will be made with our community, in the collective interest of our community, with protection for parents' individual concerns.”