A California school district is being bullied by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for teaching abstinence education.
The ACLU Chapter of Northern California has written a letter to each of the 40 schools in the Sonoma County School District asking for confirmation that they will stop teaching Free to Be, an abstinence-based sex-ed curriculum. The ACLU claims the curriculum violates the California Education Code by emphasizing abstinence instead condoms.
Valerie Huber, president of the National Abstinence Education Association, said the ACLU is just going by its playbook.
"This is an example of a tactic that the ACLU typically uses — trying to win their suits by out-of-court intimidation rather than actual legal standing," she said. "There's nothing, to our understanding, of California law that prohibits abstinence education as a supplement to the health curricula."
Reports indicate the group has even sent e-mails to school officials with their demands. It's a move Candi Cushman, education analyst for Focus on the Family Action, finds troubling.
"The arrogance of the ACLU in trying to micromanage what local school districts are doing is appalling," she said. "It's outrageous and local taxpayers shouldn't put up with an outside advocacy group trying to control their schools."
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit CitizenLink's abstinence education resource page.
