Apr 28, 2008 10:41 pm US/Central
Minn. House Debates Sex Ed, School Hours
ST. PAUL (AP) ―
The Minnesota House grappled Monday with the level of control the state should exert over public schools, a debate that focused heavily on sex education.
Lawmakers decided to let district leaders keep full power over when the school bell rings. Then they voted to compel districts to fill some of those hours with "age-appropriate" lessons on abstinence, contraception and sexually transmitted diseases. The bill passed 85-45.
Early in a debate that stretched into the night, House members defeated a proposal that would have barred districts from making the school day any shorter than it is this year.
House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, tried to tack the timekeeping measure onto a broader education policy bill. He said the school day is eroding even though students are expected to learn more.
"We have fewer minutes in the 21st century than we had in the 1960s, 70s and 80s in many of the school districts around the state of Minnesota," Seifert said.
Unlike most states, Minnesota doesn't have a uniform law spelling out the duration of the school day or year. While no one could say with certainty how long Minnesota schoolchildren are in class each day, lawmakers cited examples ranging from 5 1/2 hours to 7-plus hours.
Opponents of the Seifert proposal argued it would tie the hands of district leaders in the best position to decide how long to hold classes. Quality, not quantity, of instruction is what matters to achievement, said Rep. Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul.
"Time alone is not going to get those students to meet those standards," Mariani said, "it's everything you do with those students when you have them."
The amendment failed 72-59.
By a 79-53 vote, the Democratic-led House added the requirement that districts adopt sex ed curriculum no later than the 2011-12 school year. The programs must emphasize abstinence, but they would also confront diseases and unintended pregnancies, and FDA-approved methods for preventing both.
The provision gives parents the chance to pull their children from sex ed classes, which would be offered in middle school through high school grades.
Rep. Neva Walker, DFL-Minneapolis, said the state needs a baseline curriculum for sex ed no matter how uncomfortable the topic is.
"Unfortunately, not all of our students are comfortable talking with their parents or their guardians and not all our parents and guardians are comfortable talking to their students," Walker said.
Detractors, most of whom were Republican, said the measure puts sex ed on par with core courses.
"We are going far beyond giving our children basic information in school," said Rep. Steve Gottwalt, R-St. Cloud. "We are giving them information about things parent should have the responsibility, the right to convey to their kids."
He added, "There is a role for our schools and there is a role for our parents and this goes way too far."
Negotiators from the House and Senate must agree to a common education bill before one is sent to Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
