105 Peavey Rd, Suite 116, Chaska, MN 55318
952-361-4931 www.edwatch.org - edwatch@lakes.com

April 18, 2007

For Immediate Release	Thursday, April 18, 2007
Contact: Dr. Karen Effrem	763-458-7119

Groups call on legislators to reject unhealthy, anti-family,
anti-parent provisions in the House K-12 education spending bill

ST. PAUL Two Minnesota groups jointly released a list of top reasons for legislators to reject unhealthy, anti-family, anti-parent provisions in the House K-12 education spending bill. The Minnesota Family Council and EdWatch today called on House members to reject the provisions which they call dangerous and an unwarranted government intrusion into parenting when the bill is up for a floor vote today.

Government intrusion into parenting unhealthy for families and children
Dr. Karen Effrem of EdWatch identified five different early childhood proposals that are highly objectionable. These are nothing short of a government assault on the minds of our children and a massive takeover of parenting in the state of Minnesota, she said. One example she listed was government setting norms for all children from birth to age five in areas like mental health, gender issues, diversity training, and environmentalism. These have nothing to do with closing the achievement gap, she stated.

Psychiatric screening is another area the groups highlighted. The controversial mental screening program, TeenScreen, has drawn intense public opposition. HF6 simply hides TeenScreen by giving it a generic name to avoid the controversy, stated Effrem, but the author made it clear that TeenScreen is the program that will be funded. The language is intentionally misleading.

Curricula used for comprehensive sex education unhealthy for children
Tom Prichard of Minnesota Family Council said that HF6 would force comprehensive sex education programs on all middle and high schools in the state. This is an unhealthy proposal which will be foisted on Minnesota students in every grade from 7 through 12.

After reviewing several sex education curricula added Chuck Darrell director of communications for MFC, we are certain the instruction will lead to more teens engaging in unhealthy, dangerous forms of sexual activity like oral, anal, and even anal-oral sex. The content is graphic and offensive and even made legislators blush in legislative hearings on the bill.

A recent study showed an explosion in STDs and STIs including Chlamydia. The reason for the explosion is not abstinence. It is because children are being taught to engage in unhealthy sexual activity, said Darrell.

The discussion of abstinence in comprehensive sex education is merely window dressing, said Prichard. The focus of the curriculum is use of contraceptives. In addition, marriage is not encouraged. We cant ignore marriage when sexual activity is discussed, he said. 93No legislator should support such a program.

We are asking legislators to drop these intrusive provisions. If they are not dropped, legislators should reject the overall bill, Prichard said. Minnesota parents dont want the state promoting programs that undermine our childrens health and well-being.

Top Reasons to Vote Against HF 6

1. Early Childhood Unhealthy Government Assault on the Minds of Children and a Massive Takeover of Parenting

Implements a radical Profile of Learning style system of curriculum and assessments for preschoolers.
Government Control - Sets government norms for children birth to age 5 in controversial areas like mental health, gender issues, family structure diversity, careers, and environmentalism that have nothing to do with closing the achievement gap.
Creates another Government Bureaucracy - Creates a new government bureaucracy for every aspect of early childhood care and education via public school and community hubs.
Lacks accountability to parents - Puts a private, non-elected, non-governmental agency (MELF) in charge of setting public early childhood policy with absolutely no accountability.
Puts government and MELF in charge of curriculum in all public, private, and religious child care programs via quality rating systems

2. Mandates Unhealthy Comprehensive Sex Education

Erodes local control - New state sex education mandate for all Minnesota public school districts.
Not age appropriate - Comprehensive sex education curriculum is notorious for being extremely explicit and graphic. The provision would mandate all public schools teach children grades 7 through 12 "comprehensive family life and sexuality education" and encourages it be taught to children K through 6.
Encourages unhealthy sexual activity A review of sex ed curricula reveals instruction that teaches children how to make dental dams to perform oral and anal-oral sex. While the language of bill talks about age appropriate material, what comprehensive sex ed advocates view as appropriate material is much different from what the general public views as appropriate.
Abstinence instruction virtually ignored - Mandates "education about the use of protection and contraception" and only gives lip service to abstinence education.

3. Psychiatric Screening Controversial, ineffective at reducing suicide, high false positives, stigmatizing, leading questions may be damaging to youth, leads to overuse of dangerous and ineffective medications even for very young children.

TeenScreen is disguised as suicide prevention grants in a Safe Schools levy. It allows districts to levy for controversial federal violence prevention program that can label kids as potentially violent based on perceived intolerance by racial, ethnic, religious, language, gender, sexual orientation, ability, or physical appearance criteria.
Government Control - State Advisory Board established to recommend a Minnesota universal infant mental health screening program.
No incentive to notify parents - Contains no requirement for the state to inform parents of existing state law that they may conscientiously opt out of preschool screening.

4. International Baccalaureate (IB) Un-American Curriculum

Promotes world citizenship.
Makes Minnesotas education standards subservient to IB
Promotes UN principles, documents and treaties at the expense of American rights, documents, and principles

5. Tax increases will be required to pay for all of these expensive, ineffective, and radical programs that will destroy the family budget and force more mothers into the workforce to the detriment of their children.

105 Peavey Rd, Suite 116, Chaska, MN 55318
952-361-4931 www.edwatch.org - edwatch@lakes.com

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