CCS not immune from curriculum infiltration

If you think discussion of Comprehensive Sexuality Education and Critical Race Theory are only concerns in other larger cities and schools, patrons of the Chase County Schools district might want to think again.
    The subjects were discussed at length at Tuesday’s CCS board of education meeting, and it looks like at the next few meetings board members will be addressing them further.
    Have parents of CCS athletes looked at the form you or your child needs to complete regarding physicals to compete in sports in the 2021-22 school year? You might want to go to the CCS website and check it out.
    At the top of the physical form, right below name, date of birth, date of medical exam and sport(s) to be involved in, are these two questions:
    Sex assigned at birth (F, M or intersex), and
    How do you identify your gender? (F, M or other).
    Really.....other?
    Come to find out, the new form, different from two years ago, was sent to our school from the Nebraska School Activities Association (there were no requirements for physicals last school year due to COVID). By the way, 7-12 Principal Mike Sorensen said our school does not have to use that form.
    At Tuesday’s meeting, former school board member Sheila Stromberger gave each board member a file folder full of information she has gathered on the subjects. She warned that even if the State Board of Education does not go forward with its controversial proposals on health standards, that’s not the only concern—Critical Race Theory and CSE will be infiltrating into other curriculum areas.
    It’s no small task to keep an eye on the curricula and “standards” being funneled to our school from other sources in light of our current culture. However, concern with content cannot be left only to the school administration and teachers.
    Parents, if you are concerned with the sexual information being proposed for teaching at first and second grade levels, as an example—YOU will have to get on board. Some of the material will be very subtle like the NSAA-provided sports physical form, or a line here and there in their science textbook.
    State senators are taking a stand. Sen. Dan Hughes is among 30 state legislators who have sent letters to school boards in their districts asking them to adopt resolutions rejecting the proposed NE Dept. of Education health standards and retain local control of their health curricula. Their letter says the NE Department of Education has been unresponsive to the hundreds of objections and concerns from parents and patrons on the health standards they have proposed.
    It was a little reassuring, however, that Matthew Blom-
stedt, NE Commissioner of Education, wrote in a letter to school administrators this week that he regrets that concerns over the proposed health education standards are fueling a “crisis of confidence” in the Department of Education and across the educational system. He must not have read the original draft I guess.
    Our school board did not take a vote yet on a resolution, wanting to wait to see what the state board comes back with on health standards next month.
    A resolution against Critical Race Theory being imposed in curriculum on its campuses is expected to come up for a vote on the University of NE Board of Regents’ Aug. 13 meeting.
    It’s going to take all of us to be watchful of our children’s education, and that’s not only in our schools. Social media is probably an equal influencer or bigger than our school.
    Bottom line, parents should be the ones deciding what type of “health education” their children receive in school and what should be taught at home. Don’t sit back and let others make those decisions.