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After intense backlash from students and some members of the community, the Wausau School Board on Monday approved a revised Human Growth and Development policy that now includes instruction on the use of contraceptives and other barrier methods.

The revised policy that guides curriculum on sexual education now reads: “the health benefits, side effects, and proper use of contraceptives and barrier methods approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration to prevent pregnancy and barrier methods approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration to prevent sexually transmitted infections.”

A prior draft prioritized an abstinence-only approach for the school board’s approval, leading to the outcry. Another deleted section regarding instruction on “pregnancy, parenting, body image, and gender stereotypes” remains deleted. The word “puberty” was partially restored to the document, with “maturation” mentioned as “formerly puberty.”

Board President James Bouche, said members reviewed the policy and made some adjustments at the committee level.

Wausau School Superintendent Keith Hilts presented the policy in a different manner by comparing the past and current document side by side. The approved version also adds what the 2021 Wisconsin Act 90 required: “a parent of a newborn child may relinquish custody of the child to a law enforcement officer, emergency medical services practitioner, or hospital staff member.”

Those who spoke at and submitted written comments for a May 23 meeting termed the proposal “dangerous,” “backward” and counter-productive. Others saw the proposed changes as imposing Christian and conservative ideology on students.

On Monday, Megan Marohl, who had severely criticized school officials three weeks ago, thanked the community and the Board for preventing the changes from taking effect.

Nancy Stencil said the board should not try to impose the “morality of any political side” and teach students the value of acceptance.

Before bowing to pressure, district officials tried to defend the proposed changes by saying they were working to align policy with state statutes. They said the changes were a proposed update created by Neola, an organization that provides policies and periodic policy updates to school districts throughout Wisconsin and five other states. 

Neola, on its part, told Wausau Pilot & Review that they had suggested the updates after realizing that the district’s document was not up-to-date with a specific state statute that was enacted 11 years ago. Company officials denied that they had removed instruction on contraceptives, a pain point for several public speakers at the May meeting.

“Neola is not removing (instruction related to contraceptives and barrier methods to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted/infectious diseases),” Dr. Steven LaVallee, an Associate at Neola Wisconsin, said, adding that any changes are ultimately up to individual school boards to enact.

Abstinence-only sex education in schools, despite proving to be a failure in delaying sexual relations, avoiding unwanted pregnancies or preventing sexually transmitted diseases or infections, has been a topic of discussion among some religious and political groups who consider it effective in controlling teen sexual activity. But experts warn that such an approach is both ineffective and unethical.

Moreover, teen pregnancy rate is falling across the United States, but there are states where it is still high. Seven of the states with the highest teen birth rate have abstinence-only instruction.

Wausau is not alone in the controversy surrounding the human growth development education. The Cedarburg School District in Wisconsin also proposed changes that led to opposition from its community, including medical professionals. But officials from two other area school districts, D.C. Everest and Stevens Point, say they have no plans to remove contraceptives from their human growth development education.

(For the revised policy, click here and go to agenda No. X.A.7 and click on policy No. 2414.)

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