By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

Discussion of the abstinence-only program presented by New Hope Family Services in two of the Liverpool Central School District’s middle schools continued at the Feb. 5 meeting of the board of education.

New Hope Family Services presents across two class periods during the sexual education unit of eighth-grade health classes at Chestnut Hill Middle School and Soule Road Middle School. According to Superintendent Dr. Mark Potter, district officials will be “evaluating [the program’s] merits” this year to decide if New Hope should visit the health classes at Liverpool Middle School as well.

BOE President Craig Dailey said since New Hope’s presentations do not violate district policy, the middle schools should be able to “discern themselves whether they want to continue with the program or not.”

Board Member Stacey Balduf said the board does not have the power to make decisions about instruction.

“We don’t do implementation. We can say to Dr. Potter, ‘I’d like you to consider not doing it,’” she said. “It is not our role to pick programs for the district.”

BOE Member Richard Pento said “curriculum is within the purview” of the board, and urged the board to continue the discussion and ask questions about New Hope’s program.

“I do have still quite a few questions about the whole thing,” Pento said at the Feb. 5 meeting. “I’d be curious as with most … presentations taking place for classroom instruction of classroom information of getting feedback from the people who I’m going to trust the most, that we hired, that are experts, and that is the teaching staff.”

In November, Caitlin Coulombe, whose child is a seventh-grader at CHMS, contacted the district with concerns about the content of New Hope’s abstinence-only presentation and the possibility of bias from the Christian organization. Coulombe appeared before the school board Jan. 8 and asked the district to end its relationship with New Hope. At the Jan. 22 meeting, representatives from New Hope gave the board an overview of its abstinence-only education program and answered board questions.

According to Dailey and Potter, the district has only received comments from Coulombe and one other person.

“We’re not sure if the person is a parent, so we’re investigating that,” Dailey said.

Pento also noted that New York state allows parents to excuse their children of HIV/AIDS instruction as long as they provide that instruction at home. In an email to the Star-Review, Potter noted that parents must sign a permission slip for their children to attend New Hope Family Services’ presentation.

“[For] eighth-graders, we allow parents to opt-out their child from the New Hope presentation via a signed permission slip. It does identify that if you have concerns, issues or comments, please contact your child’s health teacher,” Potter wrote. “I’m told that if the permission slip isn’t signed, the student is not included in the New Hope presentation. To date, according to the current building principals, everyone has returned the signed permission slip to participate.”

Pento said the district should be free to ask outside presenters to modify their programs to reflect the district’s values, something BOE President Craig Dailey said New Hope is already doing.

“New Hope has been very accommodating and learning about what things to do and what not to do,” Dailey told the Star-Review. “We feel they receive feedback and adapt accordingly.”

As for New Hope’s absence from LMS, Dailey said the district is “trying to figure out why they’ve never been there.” New Hope has visited CHMS since 2004 and SRMS since 2002.

“We’re investigating the curriculum and trying to bring more equity across the district,” he said.”

Potter said LMS Principal Joseph Mussi and health teacher Amanda Meager are looking into New Hope’s presentation “to see if it’s anything of interest.”

“Unfortunately, there are no principals or health teachers still here that was a part of the decision or part of the curriculum development for the abstinence topic,” Potter said.

Ultimately, Executive Director for K-8 Education Rick Chapman would make a decision on whether LMS invites New Hope Family Services to its eighth-grade health classes.

Dailey said the board is still in the information-gathering stage and discussion likely will continue after seeking input from the middle school health teachers.