Eatman, Brandon (MS) From: Ed Lazere [This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.]
Sent: Friday, March 09, 2007 7:04 AM
To: Tina May; Sherry Trafford; Jackie & Daryl Sink; TownsendPineFamily; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Kathleen Brown; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Laurie Heim; Riehie, Barbara; Robert Zakin; Mark O'Donnell
Cc: Eatman, Brandon (MS); Suzanne Griffith Subject: RE: Health class at Stu-Hob
Thanks for this information. This sounds pretty outrageous. A group that opposes condom use should not, in my opinion, be talking to our kids.
Mr. Eatman, is there a way to postpone the assembly to give us time to meet with you about this group?
Tina, is it possible that you could convert the flier to a pdf and email it to us? I did not see it. If not, are there extra fliers at StuartHobson that we can pick up, Mr. Eatman?
----------------------------- Original Message
From: Tina May [mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.]
Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 5:15 PM
To: Sherry Trafford; Jackie & Daryl Sink; TownsendPineFamily; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Ed Lazere; Kathleen Brown; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Laurie Heim; Riehle, Barbara; Robert Zakin; Mark O'Donnell
Cc: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject: FYI: Health class at Stu-Hob
Hello all! I just wanted to be sure you were aware of the abstinence promotion program happening at Stuart-Hobson. Seventh and eighth graders taking PE/Health this quarter have a short, three-session program by an outside group promoting AIDS/HIV awareness and abstinence. In addition, apparently next week is Abstinence Awareness Week and there will be a school "Power of Purity" assembly on Thursday, March 15 at 9:00am.
Both Mr. Booker and Mr. Eatman assure me that it is a very simple program with an informative and generally accepted message, and doesn't step over boundaries for the age of our kids. The program and the group have been cleared by the appropriate DCPS administrator. Mr. Booker and Mr. Eatman will continue to monitor the program and I trust their judgement.
What brought this program to my attention was a small red flyer promoting Abstinence Awareness Week that was brought home.
The "Fact Sheet" on the flyer, along with many statistics about AIDS/pregnancy/STDs, also contains several statements against condoms. While I hope our middle-schoolers do not yet need debate about condom-use, I was concerned about a group that was against the reality of condom-use for adults in the fight against AIDs, unwanted pregnancy, etc. Also, the list of sponsors of the program included some religious groups and I was concerned about the general issue of the separation of church and state.
This prompted me to go online to find out more about the group, ULTRA Teen Choice, and the administrator Richard Urban. UTC also does a program at Eastern High, there are after-school "clubs" and Mr. Urban lives on the Hill. Beyond the basic message of promoting health and strengthening families through abstinence until marriage, I found some more controversial items. Mr. Urban is against any condom use (outside of marriage). He is intolerant of homosexuality. And Mr. Urban is a member of the Rev. Sun Myung-Moon's Unification Church. The group's website is urbanlifetraining.org (check the "Commentaries" section for his account of an issue with the ANC). But I suggest you look at www.tparents.org, a Unification Church site, where you can find the writings of Richard Urban and the basis for his program (look for "The Words of the Urban Family"; I find 'Testimony on Tong Ban Kyok Pa, August 31, 2004" to be interesting).
I plan to be at the assembly and sit in on one of Health classes, as suggested by Mr. Booker. I also have some ideas about other ways to check into the group. Let me know if you have any thoughts on the matter and whether you would like me to keep you informed.
Tina May
