Opinion ID: 3010729
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: 1 The Board of Education reaffirms its policy to

Text: provide comprehensive human growth and development instruction to all public school students. In accordance with School District policy and state law, such instruction should be part of the public school program and should be shared by the public schools, home, and community. The primary purposes of such instruction are to promote more wholesome family and interpersonal relationships; to help young people understand their sexuality at all levels of development; and to develop healthy habits and moral values regarding human sexuality. 1.2 The Board recognizes that the expression of human sexual behavior can be the source of many of life's most meaningful experiences as well as its most _________________________________________________________________ 1. The organization of [Pennsylvania's] public school system is controlled by the Public School Code of 1949 (School Code)[24 Pa. Stat. Ann. SS 1- 101 - 27-2702 (West 1992)]. Philadelphia Fed'n of Teachers, Local No. 3 v. Board of Educ. of the Sch. Dist. of Phila., 414 A.2d 424, 426 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 1980) (citation omitted). School Districts act as agencies of the state legislature in administering the educational program within the district. Chambersburg Area Sch. Dist. v. Pennsylvania Labor Relations Bd., 430 A.2d 740, 743 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 1981) (citation omitted), appeal dismissed, 446 A.2d 603 (Pa. 1982). See also Barth v. School Dist. of Phila., 143 A.2d 909, 912 (Pa. 1958) (the School District of Philadelphia is an agent or creature of the Legislature); Kaufman v. Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit No. 16, 601 A.2d 412, 414 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 1991) (The legislature has established that each school district and intermediate unit shall have, inter alia, a board of directors and has set forth the powers and duties of each) (citation omitted). 5 painful problems; and the Board of Education firmly asserts that abstinence from sexual activity during adolescence promotes good health and a healthy lifestyle. 1.3 The Board of Education firmly believes that successful pursuit of the mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle for all adolescents depends upon the cooperation of a broad spectrum of the Philadelphia community, including schools, families, religious institutions, health care providers, social service agencies, businesses, government, and media. (App. 37). The Board described the Policy's objectives as follows: 2.1.a. To enable and encourage students to abs tain from sexual intercourse until ready to enter marriage or another mutually monogamous relationship. 2.1.b. To reduce high risk sexual behavior lea ding to teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV infection. 2.1.c. To assure a safe, equitable and positiv e school experience for lesbian and gay students. 2.1.d. To assure that all programs and activit ies take into consideration the broad spectrum of ethnic and cultural diversities, as well as mental and physical disabilities. (App. 38). To effectuate the aforementioned objectives, the Board prescribed specific curricula: 3.1 The Superintendent shall direct the development and acquisition of curricula which comprehensively promote healthy behavior and which shall be taught in all grade levels, pre-kindergarten through grade twelve. Such curricula shall focus on behavioral outcomes and effective methods to convey the message that abstinence is the most effective way of preventing pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV infection; a voluntary parental education component, designed to enhance the frequency and effectiveness of parents' communication with their 6 children; and a mechanism for monitoring the efficacy of the curricula. (Id.). The policy also empowers the Superintendent to develop additional partnerships with health care providers that expand and maximize access to in-school comprehensive health care for all children. (App. 39). The cornerstone of the policy, and its most controversial provision, is its directive to facilitate student access to condoms: 3.4 The Board believes that the effectiveness of the curricula to promote healthy lifestyles and to prevent pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV infection is enhanced for sexually active students by facilitating their access to condoms outside of school. Toward that end, the Board supports the School District's involvement in city wide efforts to maximize access to condoms. 3.5 The Board of Education directs the Superintendent to immediately initiate the design of a pilot, educationally-based program, permitting inschool availability of condoms and the counseling of students in the use of same, utilizing established nonSchool District health care and social service providers, in partnership with participating schools. Such programs shall commence not later than the Fall of 1991. 3.6 The phased-in pilot program of condom availability in schools shall apply only to students in grades nine through twelve.