10-26-2006, 10:56 AM
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#33 (permalink)
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Darth Papa
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I think I could come to like New Jersey!
It was just announced to day the the NJ educational system turned down federal funds for sex-education programs that would have to be abstinence-only, and would have forbidden teachers to talk about contraception, among other things. Suddenly New Jersey sounds like it has a head on its shoulders! Now if they could only pretty up the Turnpike a little bit!
This is the first of two pages. Notice the last paragraph in the section I quoted. Shockingly sensible!
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey...760.xml&coll=1
Quote:
State spurns federal sex ed money
Objecting to abstinence mandates, Jersey forgoes $800,000
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
BY CAROL ANN CAMPBELL
Star-Ledger Staff
The Corzine administration said "thanks, but no thanks" to federal abstinence education money yesterday, saying new rules will not let teachers talk about contraception. Teachers also must say sex within marriage is the "expected standard of human sexual activity."
A letter yesterday by state health and education officials to the federal government says the strings attached to the money contradict the state's own sex education and AIDS education programs.
The state has taken the money, about $800,000 each year, since 1997. But state officials said new federal rules give them far less flexibility in creating such programs than in past years.
"Some of the elements required are inconsistent and violate our own educational standards," said Health Commissioner Fred M. Jacobs.
New Jersey is the fourth state so far to reject the abstinence education money, after California, Pennsylvania and Maine.
Education Commissioner Lucille Davy also signed the letter, which was sent to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Levitt. The letter says the state will not apply for abstinence money for the 2006-2007 school year.
The state had distributed the money to nine community organizations, such as the Camden County chapter of the American Red Cross and Catholic Community Services, which serves Newark, Irvington and South Orange. The groups run programs, some in schools, for about 11,000 children age 10 through 14.
In the past, Jacobs said the state adhered to several, but not all, of the elements in the Title V federal abstinence education program. For instance, the state adhered to section C, which teaches that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. It supported section G, which teaches young people how to reject sexual advances, and section H, which teaches the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before engaging in sexual activity.
But Jacobs said new guidelines require the organizations to follow all sections, including one that teaches that monogamous in marriage is the only expected standard and that sex outside of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects.
"Monogamy is not a bad idea, but having the government of New Jersey dictate these things for families is not something we wish to do," Jacobs said. "It isn't the function of state government to create standards (for sexual activity)."
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