NEWPORT BEACH/COSTA MESA : Decision Delayed on Sex-Education Video

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District board has for a second time postponed a decision on adding a new sex-education video for teen-agers to the district’s curriculum.

The video, called “What About Sex? Teens Speak Out About Parents, Peers & Personal Responsibility,” is proposed for use in seventh- through 12th-grade health classes and ninth- through 12th-grade family-life and peer-counseling classes.

Board member Wendy Leece said she viewed the video and would veto it, even though a four-parent review panel approved a teacher’s request to use the tape at no cost to the district.

The program focuses on teen-agers discussing decision-making based on their value systems, misconceptions about sex, ways to approach parents to discuss sex and other topics, and how to make decisions about becoming sexually active.

“I feel there are several elements in this video that would be borderline with the law that says abstinence must be taught, even though (the video) would be shown in context” with other approaches, Leece said.

Part of her concern was that the program was produced in 1992 and that health issues may have changed since then.

“In the last two years, we have seen an increase in teen-age pregnancy, AIDS and (sexually transmitted diseases),” Leece said. “As adults, we need to take the higher moral ground. This video is not the best that we can do.”

Leece, who made her first, unsuccessful run for a board seat on a get-sex-education-out-of-schools platform, felt that the program “treats condom use and abstinence as equal” and shows “an attitude of disrespect” toward parental advice.

“It could even encourage date rape,” she said. “It just leaves too much out in the open.”

Board members James Ferryman and Edward Decker noted that they had not seen the program and asked to postpone a vote until they do. The board voted unanimously to postpone a decision to its March 14 meeting.