Not Your Standard Test
October 13, 2010 by admncc
It’s not a good week to be an Administrator at Hardy Middle School in Washington, D.C. Parents there are in an uproar over students being asked to take a “sex test” last week.
According to blogger, Beth Solomon, from The Georgetown Dish, the first question on the test was, “What is your gender?” And the students could choose from “Male, Female, Transgender (M to F) or Transgender (F to M).” Wait a minute…what! But oh, the questions get so much worse.
Solomon’s post detailed the extremely graphic nature of some of the questions the 12-year-olds were asked to answer. Such as:
“How sure are you that you….
…Can name all four body fluids that can transmit HIV.
…Know the difference between oral, vaginal, and anal sex.
…Can correctly put a condom on yourself or your partner.
…Will avoid getting yourself or your partner pregnant if you have sex.
…Can convince a reluctant partner to use barrier protection (i.e. condoms, dental dams) during sex.”
During the test, apparently one confused 12-year-old “asked an instructor about some of the terms. “What is this? I don’t know what this is,” he told the facilitator. Children ventured guesses as the instructor – brought in on a DCPS (District of Columbia Public Schools) contract – started to define “anal sex” and “oral sex.””
Interestingly, this test was administered through a program sponsored by an organization called Metro TeenAIDS and was funded by the federal government – The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Parents had previously received a letter saying that students would have the opportunity to participate in “research” and answer some questions that might possibly make them feel “uncomfortable.” The letter also promised an opt-out option, in case you didn’t want your child to take the test. However, the consent forms were never sent to the parents and copies of the test weren’t made available until two days after it was administered. You can view the entire test here.
The bottom line is that the parents/guardians of the minors should have been given the consent form and a copy of the test beforehand to review. I mean…while I’m sure that some students in the classrooms had an idea of what those terms meant, I’m also sure that many of them didn’t. And I don’t believe it’s a teacher’s job (or even the government’s) to be defining and describing sex acts to our children.
All Posts / Family/Lifestyle / Parenting / Schools DC / DCPS / District of Comumbia Public Schools / Hardy Middle School / Metro TeenAIDS / Middle Schools / Minors / Parental Consent / Sex Tests / Sexual Education in Schools / The Georgetown Dish / Washington /
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Didn’t we spend the late 90’s listening to the lame-stream media and the President of the United States telling us that “oral sex isn’t really sex?” The only conclusion I can make of this is that anything that comes from this progressive nut-job gov’t in Washington is a waste of money, a lie, and not appropriate for my children.
Well, now we know where articles that start with “The latest research shows that 12 year-olds _________” comes from.
Although it sounds bizarre, the parents were notified that it was a “research” project. If I was a parent and the information said it might make my child uncomfortable, I would have asked for more information before consenting. But they did have an option to not have their child participate.
Oh My God. What the hell? If I was a parent there they’d have holy hell coming down on their heads. I have decided it’s really a good thing for the planet that I don’t have kids, because I’m already pissed off enough as it is. Grrr! (Boy, your job must really suck.)
I showed this post to my sister who’s an school teacher & she informed me she felt in her opinion the questions were too graphic for a 12 year old but then again she also said she hears a lot chatter on the playground and sometimes she’s in disbelief at what some of the things the 11~12 yr kids know now~a~days too.
What in the world?!? I have an almost 12 year old, and I don’t think he’d know the answers to half those questions – nor do I want some random teacher explaining it to him in front of a whole class! Usually if there is an “opt out” option for anything at school, I usually do.
ReformingGeek,
They did have the option, but that letter never came for Parents to sign or view the test. I am sure that any parent who would have reviewed the test, and were actually give a consent form, instead of being told a opt-out form will follow, would have questioned more.
I remember back in grade school, during the Parent open house meet the teacher night, my one teacher told all the parents in the class that she would be talking about drug use to us 8th graders. She went on to give graphic details and showed a brief video about what she would be talking about, and if any of the parents felt uncomfortable about her discussing it with their kid, they needed to sign a form, which she gave them that night. She was on top of it, and kept the parents in the loop about when she was doing things.
I just find it difficult to believe that people think that a 12 year old in the U.S. wouldn’t know the difference between oral, anal and vaginal sex….But Jen hit the nail on the head…when there’s an opt-out option, it’s best to use it.
Children can find things out online even if they never took the tests. I things it better to regulate the information they get than send them wildly searching online. I am for sex education. I got it in fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh grade. Ultimately, if the parent doesn’t want their child in the course, they don’t have to be in the course.
Alright…this is ridiculous! Just because the DC school district is “Forward thinking,” has nothing to do with who sits in the WH. Oral sex is not sex, in the most genuine, old school, usage of the word. While I do believe oral sex is sex, because there is a tranfer of fluids, I do not believe a child can come as a result of this type of sex…so is it really “sex?” I learned a lot of stuff/life lessons from people other than my parents. Whatever way my son learns that sex, while a good time, is not commonly accepted in our society, before marriage, is fine with me. Who among us hasn’t had sex before marriage, NCD? I don’t like someone else making my son feel uncomfortable in school. That is why I will tell him exactly what is coming his way, in school, before he goes to school. Who among us thinks that kids don’t know about sex? I think the opt out option is good, but why do we send our kids to school, to learn or to opt out? I will let my wife handle issues like these when they arise…
Yikes! Good thing it wasn’t a hands-on or performance test.
Wow! I’d be upset alright!! I believe it to be the parents job to educate the kids on sex. Unfortunately some parents have no idea on how to do this!! But this questionnaire is inappropriate!!
Nothing shocks me anymore. The first clue would have been the word uncomfortable. Red flags would have been going off in my head.
oh em gee.
this is ridiculous. and probably why my parents sent me to a baptist school. i mean, MIDDLE SCHOOLERS?! what the crap? they should be like, playing kickball.
not cool
p.s. I’m not even sure what a dental dam is.