Jay Parents Learn More About Controversial Sex Ed

Parents in one Oklahoma town are learning more about a controversial sex education lesson that upset many parents and students. 

Thursday, they were able to sit down with JAY educators to talk about the curriculum. 

Parents who were at the meeting asked a lot of questions and learned more about the curriculum. And the program directors hope this will help clear the air about this already uncomfortable topic.  

“I had no intentions of coming tonight, but I’m really glad I did come and attend this meeting it has opened up my mind and everything is so much clearer now,” said parent Sherry Ginnis.  

Two of Sherry's kids have gone through the SHAPE Program. She said at first she was apprehensive about it but now she sees why they teach it. 

“I would've personally liked to tell my kids about it but after seeing the curriculum I’m comfortable with it,” Ginnis said.  

SHAPE stands for Sexual Health Awareness Prevention and Education. And the program's educators said the information that has circulated on social media is a misrepresentation of the program.  

“They’ve been using the page that was in the original Facebook post almost 20 years,” said Director of Lighthouse Pregnancy Center Karen Moore.  

The program was created in Joplin and has been implemented in several different schools across the country but it has only been taught in Delaware County for the past 5 years. 

“We see light bulbs going off when they see this information they realize tv isn’t telling us the truth, social media isn’t telling us the truth, music isn’t telling us the truth so it’s really rewarding,” said Moore. 

And they hope that parents will understand that their lessons don't teach kids how to have sex.

“We are empowering kids with ways that they can say no, with reasons why they want to say no,” Moore said.

If you couldn't attend the meeting, the information for Lighthouse Pregnancy Center can be found here.