The Tucson Unified School District has published its proposed updated Sex Education “Family Life” curriculum. The District will hold a public comment period beginning today, August 1.
The Board is expected to vote to adopt the curriculum at their August 13 meeting.
The District has not updated the curriculum since the 1990s.
Among a variety of concepts, 7th and 8th grade students will be taught: “Gender and sexuality can mean different things to different people. Biological sex includes chromosomes (XX, XY, and variations) and genitalia someone is born with. An individual’s gender includes gender identity (the gender someone identifies as) and outward masculine/feminine gender expression. These are based on socio-cultural constructs based on expectations, and stereotypes. Social norms change over time. Outward expressions does not necessarily correspond to a person’s gender. Sexuality is emotional and sexual attraction to others.”
As with all teaching materials, those currently available for review provide no real indication of what and how the material will actually be conveyed in classrooms. [View the material here]