Because of COVID-19, everyone is homeschooling. Bringing school closer to home may be a good thing, considering what many kids are learning in schools.
Ian Rowe, who is the CEO of the Public Prep charter school network in New York, tells of moving their headquarters to the South Bronx, an area that is impoverished both economically and educationally. While scouting out the area, they noticed a blue Winnebago truck that was a welcome fixture in the neighborhood.
On the truck, in graffiti, was “Who’s Your Daddy?” The truck turned out to be a mobile DNA testing center charging $350-$500 to answer questions such as: “Is she my sister?” or “Are you my father?” Demand was so high that a second truck was added. The owner said, “For years, many were carrying around a huge burden. They live daily without the assurances most people take for granted, such as: Who is my mother? Who is my brother? Am I really who I think I am?”
Rowe’s research showed that the severe educational disparities between this district and others were not due to geography, economics, and race, but were related more to family structure. In its 2010 report, “Family Structure and Children’s Health in the United States,” the National Center for Health Statistics reported that children showing the most consistently positive health outcomes were raised in nuclear families, “with two married parents, who are each biological or adoptive parents to all children in the family.”
The well-known challenges effecting children in single-parent homes makes me wonder why schools seem to be so bent on promoting Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE), which in reality teaches and encourages students to have sex. CSE perpetuates the cycle that brings about consistently negative outcomes. I believe we can raise the bar for better outcomes.
I recently spoke with Maryann Mosac, president of a wonderful organization called ASCEND. ASCEND promotes SRA curriculum or Sexual Risk Avoidance, another name for abstinence. What she said thoroughly surprised me, but she had the facts to back her up: “Teens say they feel pressured to have sex in most sex-ed programs.”
- 40 percent of 18- and 19-year-olds say their contraceptive-focused sex-ed classes make sex seem like an expectation.
- More than 1 in 5 teens say classroom condom demonstrations make them feel sex is expected. Check out the stats for yourself.
By law, abstinence is the preferred curriculum in Rhode Island, yet that is not followed in many school districts. When schools re-open, FPA will be working with conservative family-oriented legislators (yes, they do exist) to ensure better outcomes for children. Making Rhode Island a state where God is Honored, Religious Freedom Flourishes, Families Thrive and Life is Cherished begins in the family!
Sincerely,
Dave Aucoin
Chairman, Board of Advisors – Rhode Island
