Male Genitalia School Activity Causes Uproar; School Drops Modeling Activity

BERLIN — After a storm of complaints and concerns late last week, Worcester County school officials have decided a lesson involving seventh-grade girls making clay models of male genitalia will be excluded in the future.

Late last week, it came to light a class of seventh-grade female students at Stephen Decatur Middle School had been required to make clay models of male genitalia as part of the Family Life and Human Development program taught in county schools to students in grades 5-11. While most agree the course, which teaches students about their changing bodies and making good decisions, is an important one for the students, few agreed making clay models of the male reproductive organs was an appropriate component of the program.

Fewer still agree with the clay models being presented to the class and judged by the students’ peers and displayed in the classroom. However, school officials have denied the latter ever occurred. Some parent complaints referred to the modeling lesson as a contest of sorts with the students required to present their model to the rest of the class for judging, but Worcester County Public Schools Coordinator of Public Relations and Special Programs Barbara Witherow said this week the investigation found those allegations to be absolutely false.

After a backlash from parents, played out largely on Facebook, Worcester County public school officials this week defended the value of the Family Life and Human Development program, but agreed the clay model component was inappropriate and will be excluded from any future lessons.

“Although the intentions of the activity were centered on student learning, we want our parents and community to know that the modeling activity will be excluded from all future lessons on reproductive systems,” said Stephen Decatur Middle School Principal Lynne Barton. “We agree that there are more appropriate ways to teach students about reproductive anatomy and health. Also, I’d like to assure our parents that the Family Life and Human Development curriculum is an important one for middle school students. We believe that our students need to have accurate information about their bodies so that they may make good and healthy choices.”

Before county middle school students are taught the Family Life and Human Development courses, parents are provided with a letter explaining the curriculum and offering an opt-out option.

“Parents are provided with an opportunity to opt out this program for their child, although we believe the information our students receive is relevant to living an informed and healthy life,” said Witherow.

However, the individual teachers are apparently given some leeway with the curriculum and the letter did not include any information about students making clay models of reproductive organs, a fact that still resonates with many parents.

“As parents, it shatters our trust in the school system,” said Lora Luzier, parent of a SDMS seventh-grade boy who was not in the particular class but will be taught a similar curriculum. “The letter that came home did not include any information about making male genitalia models out of clay.”

Luzier said the girls in the class made life-size male genitalia with tinsel for hair and Easter eggs representing testicles. She said there must be some better way to teach the male anatomy including posters, text books or approved models.

“The fact that the girls had to make these, touch them, handle them and have them around in the classroom is unacceptable,” she said. “They had to present them to the rest of the class. The little girls were embarrassed and humiliated.”

Witherow explained the lesson was part of a health class and not a sex education class. Family Life and Human Development is taught in grades 5-11. In grades 5-8, the course includes between four and six class periods and each class is roughly 45 minutes. The class in question was comprised only of female students. It is the Worcester County Public Schools’ policy to teach Family Life and Human Development to only one gender at a time, not mixed gender classes, in grades 5-8. The instructor is the same gender as the students in each class, in this particular class a female.

“Teachers and nurses who provide instruction for the Family Life and Human Development program are provided with a curriculum,” said Witherow. “We recently learned about a lesson activity that included modeling for the purpose of teaching the anatomy of the reproductive system. This lesson activity has been reviewed and will be excluded from all future lessons. Although modeling is an effective scientific strategy, we understand that learning about the reproductive system is a sensitive subject for our families and students.”

Only time will tell if simply removing the modeling component from the course and dismissing it as a sensitivity issue is enough.

“It goes way beyond sensitivity issues,” said Luzier. “It’s just wrong on so many levels. SDMS really believes it has been blown out of proportion, and I am disappointed in their response. The school district’s lack of accountability has been a major disappointment for concerned parents.”

School officials acknowledged the clay modeling lesson was not appropriate for seventh-grade girls and has been removed from the Family Life and Human Development program.

“The teaching strategy of constructing models is a highly effective and appropriate strategy for studying and learning about body systems in science, for example the digestive system or the circulatory system,” said Witherow. “However, when addressing the sensitive nature of this material, model making with middle school students is inappropriate. As part of the investigation of what has occurred, the teacher has been made aware of this and this activity will be excluded from all future lessons.”

Witherow said the school system is currently revising the letter sent home to parents about the Family Life and Human Development course in light of the backlash over the clay modeling lesson.

However, many parents are completely satisfied with the exclusion of the modeling component of the course or revisions to the letter explaining the curriculum. Luzier said when the clay modeling issue arose, she called Barton in an effort to gain a better understanding of what her child might be taught during the course.

“After I heard what they did, I called to get the curriculum for my son,” she said. “The principal said that I was confused and that there weren’t clay models and that it was a poster. She said it was not a concern of mine because my son was not in that class.”

The Family Life and Human Development course will continue to be taught, but the clay modeling component has been eliminated and the program will come under closer scrutiny.

“The purpose of this activity was to teach the anatomy and physiology of the reproductive system of their gender and the opposite gender,” said Witherow. “This is to prepare students to learn about the functions of the reproductive system, healthy decision making, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV for eighth-graders.”