HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2002-02-13, Page 7News
Teaching condom use like showing kids
how to use a loaded gun, says parent
By Stew Slater
Special to The Huron Expositor
In response to a delegation
from a concerned Stratford
parent and a London -area
lawyer, staff of the Avon
Maitland District School
Board will report to trustees
about the provision to
students of information about
birth control.
Lisa Hackner, whose
daughter is in Grade 10 at
Stratford Northwestern
Secondary School, expressed
her concerns to trustees at a
regular board meeting
Tuesday, Jan. 22. She
characterized a demonstration
of proper condom
application, about which she
was told by her daughter's
friends on two occasions, as
"not only offensive to them
as students but also harmful
to our children."
Hackner, who added she's
a promoter of sexual
abstinence among unmarried
people, said instruction about
birth control "gives the
impression premarital sex is a
matter of choice, rather than
right or wrong." She also
likened such instruction to
the teaching of handgun or
drug use in schools,
suggesting it hands students
"a loaded gun" by which they
can harm themselves.
Near the conclusion of
Hackner's allotted 10 -minute
presentation,
she invited
Bruce Long
to speak.
Though no
one in
attendance
was informed
of Long's
identity,
Hackner
explained in a
later
interview that
Long is
currently a
lawyer but
worked
Quoted
'There's nothing
to be ashamed
of in [sex]. But
sex is between
amananda
woman who
are married'--
Usa Hackner,
Stratford parent
formerly as a physical
education teacher.
Long explained he could
find no reference to such
demonstrations in the Ontario
government's high school
curriculum, nor in lesson
guidelines provided by the
Ontario Physical and Health
Educators' Association
(OPHEA).
"I was providing the moral
and emotional arguments,
and (Long) was (explaining)
that there's no place for this
type of thing in the Ontario
curriculum," said Hackner,
who said she was put in touch
with Long after sharing her
concerns with one-time MP
Garnet Bloomfield.
Bloomfield, an Ilderton-area
resident who ran for the
Alliance Party in the Perth -
Middlesex riding in last
November's
federal
election,
attended the
Jan. 23
meeting but did
not speak.
Following
the meeting,
senior principal
Marie Parsons
responded that
the provincial
curriculum sets
only
"expectations,"
without
defining how
those should be reached.
Those decisions are made
separately at each school. She
also admitted she hasn't seen
the newest OPHEA
guidelines, which could be
used in this case, because
they only came to the board
in the past few days.
Parsons also explained that
the District Health Units in
Perth and Huron Counties are
both required under Ministry
of Health regulations to
provide information to
schools about birth control
and sexually transmitted
diseases. In her delegation,
Hackner acknowledged the
educational materials had
been provided by the health
unit, but added it was the
teacher who gave the
instruction.
In the subsequent
Flooding caused trouble
across Huron East
From Page 1
Most of the trouble in
Seaforth was in the
Munn's Bush, North Main
and northern parts of West
William Street areas.
However, Forrest said
problems were wide-
spread across Huron East
Friday as heavy rains
combined with melting
'snow caused flooding
across roads and in
people's basements. And
while a sewer problem
may have been the cause
of particular problems in
the north of town, Forrest
said other Seaforth
residents ended up with
flooded basements from
the volume of rain
combined with melted
snow on their properties.
He also said sewers
backed up in both
Brussels and Vanastra.
Barry Vincent, who
lives in the Munn's Bush
neighbourhood believes a
check -valve he put in after
a second flood last spring
helped.
Last May, homes
suffered thousands of
dollars in damage after
spring rains caused Silver
Creek to flood. Further
runoff from neighbouring
fields combined to help
back up the sewer system.
Vincent said Friday
afternoon, he was about to
leave town but decided to
check the house first
because of all the rain that
had already fallen.
When he got to his
street, he saw water, about
three inches deep, coming
out of the manhole cover
in front of his house,
similar to what happened
last spring.
Meanwhile, neighbour
Joanne Flanagan said just
enough water came up her
laundry room drain to get
about six feet of her
carpet wet.
Calls had started coming
in to Forrest about about 3
p.m. Friday and calls
continued from residents
until about 1 a.m.
"We worked all night
pumping," he said, adding
they used an extra pump
to try and get the water
down in that area.
When they try flushing
the system this week,
Forrest said they are only
guessing the problem is a
blockage and where the
blockage might be.
Vincent suspects the
problems last spring are
the same as the problem
on Friday and hopes
Forrest can get the
problem fixed before
expected milder
temperatures at the end of
the week.
While other homes had
varying amounts of water
in basements Friday, none
of the water came from
Silver Creek, a major
contributor to last spring's
flooding.
Work had been done last
summer to clear
obstructions out of the
creek bed to allow the
water to flow more freely.
"I think it certainly
proved itself worthwhile,"
said Forrest, adding the
AusUble Bayfield
Conservation Authority
was in town on the
weekend to inspect the
creek as well.
Forrest said they
reported to him the work
this summer seemed to
have helped the problem.
interview, Hackner said she
has no problem with students
attaining such information
from the health units, or even
from the in -school public
health nurse, upon request.
But she doesn't think it
should be presented to all
students by employees of the
school board.
"I'm not even opposed to
the health part of it . . .
depending on how it's
presented," she said, adding
she would even support
instruction about the
reproductive system. "There's
nothing to be ashamed of in
(sex). But sex is between a
man and a woman who are
married."
After a lengthy discussion
about procedure and the
wording of a motion, Avon
Maitland trustees voted
against establishing an ad hoc
committee to look into the
issue, but supported a motion
to ask for further information
from staff. Parsons expects a
staff report will be presented
in February.
She was also disappointed
that the condom
demonstration wasn't
suspended pending the results
of the staff report.
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