Rating:

2.0 (3 votes)

Tuesday evening the Helena School Board voted 6-3 to approve the health enhancement curriculum.

Trustees Trevor Wilkerson, Terry Beaver, and Robin LeNeve voted against the document.

Wilkerson asked the Board of Trustees to take the curriculum back to the drawing board. That motion failed.

Beaver said the curriculum contains sound science and age appropriate content. He says he voted against the curriculum because he heard people will be pulling their kids from the school district and he is worried about the impact that will have on enrollment. He says the decision was a fiscal one.

LeNeve told the Board if they pass the curriculum it will be a disaster.

Trustees Don Jones, Elizabeth Goldes, Joe Cohenour, Cherche Prezeau, Aidan Myhre, and Michael O'Neil all supported the curriculum.

Kim Abbott an organizer from the Montana Human Rights Network says she has supported the curriculum all along. M.H.R.N. felt the portions that addressed bullying and identifying that family structures differ were most important.

"I am really proud of the Helena Board of Trustees for going through this process, listening to the community, making some revisions that reflect a compromise. Then ultimately doing the right thing for the kids who go to public schools in this community which is give them the information that they need to make responsible choices and become responsible adults," Abbott says.

Helena Lee is a concerned grandparent and has been opposed to the curriculum from the beginning. She says nothing changed from the original to the second and third drafts.

"I was not surprised by the vote of the board because they have consistently not listened to the community, the majority of the community. They are elected officials and they are not to represent themselves but the electorate who elected them. They failed to do that," Lee adds.

Nancy Nicholson is a Helena resident who says she is pleased with the outcome.

"I am so glad that they approved the health education curriculum. I see it as a big step forward for the Helena schools, for good sound education and health information that will be a benefit to all of our students," Nicholson says.

Ingrid Lietha's son attends high school in Helena. She says after tonight that is changing.

"I believe that is wrong that they need to feel that they can do this. They didn't listen to the people. My son is not going to school tomorrow and he will be finding a different school to go to," Lietha adds.

Superintendent Bruce Messenger says families have an opt out option if they don't want their children participating in portions of the curriculum.

The school district will start looking at how they are going to start implementing this curriculum for the 2011-2012 school year.