Austin public schools won’t teach a new sexual education curriculum this month as planned, after the COVID-19 outbreak forced schools to shift lessons online.
The new sexual education curriculum won approval from trustees of the Austin Independent School District (AISD) in October 2019. Over the past six months the district has been preparing to introduce it in the classroom starting this month.
On Friday, May 8, AISD Chief of Staff Jacob Reach stated in an email, “human sexuality and responsibility lessons for May 2020 will not be taught this school year.”
He was writing in response to an inquiry from Texas Values, one of several groups that have opposed the new curriculum and threatened legal action against the district.
Critics have attacked the new curriculum for its teachings on abortion, sexual orientation, transgenderism, and other topics. The Roman Catholic Church, Diocese of Austin, has encouraged its parishioners to pull their kids out of AISD sex ed classes.
In a press release, Texas Values celebrated the postponement of the new lessons, calling it “a tremendous victory for a broad coalition of parents and concerned citizens who have fought side by side to protect Austin children and stop the district’s new, radical curriculum.”
Jonathan Saenz, the president of Texas Values, commented,“While the fight will have to continue next year, we are encouraged that Austin ISD has chosen to scrap their plans this school year to teach this dangerous, radicalized sex education promoted by LGBTQ and abortion ideologues and an out of control local government.”
Saenz was referring to ties between AISD and abortion providers. Last year the district attempted to contract with Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts to use its curriculum, but was blocked from doing so by a change to state law last year, which prohibits contracts between Texas local governments and abortion providers.
Another effort to use a Canadian abortion provider’s curriculum without a contract stalled when the Canadian organization said AISD didn’t have copyright permission to use the materials. That has left AISD in the position of having to craft its own lessons.
