Next Wednesday, January 14th at 7pm the Portland School Committee will take public comment on the superintendent proposal to change how the Family Living Program is implemented.   The Family Living Program instructor for 4th and 5th grade would be moved to a full time Health class at Lincoln Middle School.  Classroom teachers and school social workers would be utilized to help implement the training but its been admitted that some of the curriculum may be lost in the transition. 

The League believes youth deserve access to quality health and sexuality education and instruction supplied by their local schools.  

Already, Maine has taken bold positions to be a national leader in comprehensive sex-education and public health protection. Governor Baldacci boldly rejected Title V funds that would require schools to administer abstinence-based education.  We are the 5th lowest state in the country for teen pregnancy rates.  Teen sexual activity has declined 45% in the last twenty years and 27% in the last ten years.*

The quality of education Portland youth receive from the Family Living Program will be diminished if the program is altered as proposed. The program is administered independent of the other school curricula because it was determined that this was the best way to reach program goals.  Our community has confidence in the public health education program when trained instructors teach it. 

What Maine youth need is comprehensive, quality, fact-based sex education. By limiting or freezing the Family Living Program for funding reasons, we are retracting from the progress we have made over the past few years.

    How to make a difference:

-contact your District and At-Large School Committee members to let them know you want to protect Family Living
-join The League at Wednesday night’s School Committee meeting and give public comment
-contact Jenna or Katie if you need more information or help writing testimony: 207.772.3207 - jenna@theleague.com - katie@theleague.com


*” 2006 Report on Maine Teen and Youth Adult Sexual Health”, Kathryn Brown et al.  Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006.

Link to press herald article:
“Proposed cut renews sex education debate”, Elbert Aull, Press Herald 1/2/09.