Q&A
Parent engagement in shaping and understanding the sex education curriculum
1:30:22
·
166 sec
Council Member Mercedes Narcisse inquires about steps taken to involve parents and guardians in shaping and understanding the sex education curriculum. DOE representatives explain their approach to parent engagement.
- DOE provides materials in 10 languages to inform parents about curriculum content and opt-out options
- Parents are involved in the curriculum review process
- Schools are encouraged to engage families through school wellness councils
- DOE emphasizes the importance of parents as essential partners in sex education
Mercedes Narcisse
1:30:22
Parents.
1:30:24
Parents engagement is always very important to me.
1:30:26
I'm a parent.
1:30:27
Right?
1:30:28
So what step are being taken to involve parents, guardians, or anyone taking you for taking care of those children in shaping and understanding the curriculum?
1:30:39
What are the steps are you taking?
Despina Zaharakis
1:30:41
So we can talk about a few things here.
1:30:43
1 would be the family materials as part of the curriculum the different curricula.
1:30:49
So, Sarah, why don't you start with that?
1:30:51
But we do have family engagement in in multiple ways, but we can start with the curriculum.
Narrator in Shown Video
1:30:59
Yeah.
1:31:00
We I mean, one of our key messages to schools is that parents and families and guardians are essential partners in this work.
1:31:06
Like, schools can't do this alone.
1:31:08
Parents are are you know, parents and guardians are first and foremost in this.
1:31:11
And so, we have materials that we provide to schools in 10 languages to inform parents about what is in the curriculum, what the content is, how they can opt out of certain lessons, you know, the overview of what's covered, and we're, you know, hoping to develop more just sort of educational materials as well, because I think that's we have some resources we can point families to, but I think it's important for them to have more concrete sort of resources themselves so that they can start to have those conversations with their children.
1:31:39
In terms of the curriculum, we always involve parents in the review process.
1:31:43
We have a very formal review process that we go through anytime we adopt or develop a new curriculum that includes a wide variety of stakeholders, including educators, content experts, and families.
1:31:55
And so, you know, that's something that is is really important to us whenever we're developing or or recommending a new curriculum.
Mercedes Narcisse
1:32:02
Okay.
1:32:03
You work with cc's to make sure that they get the information?
1:32:06
Yeah.
1:32:07
So they can populate the information among the populations they represent?
Despina Zaharakis
1:32:10
Yes.
1:32:10
So, as part of the updating of our citywide wellness policy, we, we invite all CEC members to to join the citywide wellness advisory council Mhmm.
1:32:25
Which meets approximately once a month.
1:32:28
And we, as an office, engage them in sort of looking at the importance of, health education, the importance of sexual health education, the importance of HIV education, physical activity, physical education, etcetera.
1:32:43
That is one way.
1:32:45
We also sort of encourage, any schools that have a school wellness council or, that we fund for a school wellness council to really focus on health education, which, again, includes sexual health education.
1:33:00
So we are engaging families, but more so we're providing schools with the resources to engage their families.
