Controversial Sex-Ed. Seminar Speaker Won’t Return To Jenks Schools

A speaker at a sex-ed. seminar in Jenks caused such an uproar that the school district said she’ll never be back.

Rob Loeber said it's a state requirement to provide AIDS education, but the speakers they typically hired for the event weren't available this year, so they turned to Shelly Donahue with Tall Truth.

He said her website is mostly Christian-based, but there was a section of her website that said she had a secular presentation appropriate for public schools.

"Our administration said we need this to be about AIDS education, we need this to be secular, we need this to be not religious in any way, and she was able to give them assurances that that's exactly what would happen," Loeber said.

He said, unfortunately, there were several comments made throughout the presentation that were inappropriate and harmful to students.

Loeber said there were comments about the lack of relationships girls have with their fathers negatively impacting their social lives, making them "desperate" for male attention.

Jenks Senior Brooklyn Wilson brought the issue to the district’s attention and said the presentation given to her class was shocking and degrading.

She took to Facebook to vent her frustrations about part of the presentation that referenced girls with "daddy issues."

Her post has now been shared more than 1,000 times.

"The comment about, your dad left so that makes you desperate for guys' attention, I had never heard that from an adult, much less an adult that's supposed to be teaching sex education," Wilson said.

She said she's upset that her school would invite a speaker like Donahue in the first place.

"That's something that Jenks has always done, they've always been very concerned with their students and how they react to things, and I think that's why it was so shocking that they'd bring a speaker like this," she said.

Loeber said, unfortunately, the seminar took a turn from what they expected.

"Regrettably, some of the comments that were made in her presentation really strayed outside the realm of AIDS education, or even sex education," he said.

Wilson said, "That's why it had such an impact and why it was such a big deal, I think, because we are impressionable, we're still learning, and we have a right to the fact, and not just beliefs."

Wilson said she appreciates the genuine concern the staff has shown in the aftermath of Tuesday's assembly.