Class is over for Planned Parenthood

Shenendehowa cuts ties with group after sex ed lessons spur complaints
By SCOTT WALDMAN, Staff writer
Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Excerpt:
Shifler said a primary concern among the two dozen parents allied to her cause centered around the way abstinence was presented to children and that some parents were not given proper notification about their right to opt out of the coursework. She said that children were being lulled into a false sense of security and that they could still be exposed to sexually transmitted diseases.

"There's a difference between teaching something and promoting something," she said.

Planned Parenthood Mohawk Hudson's educators teach students in 46 schools in 12 counties. They are essentially guest lecturers that supplement the regular core health curriculum.

The lessons largely focused on abstinence, particularly for middle school students, said Darren Cosgrove, a community educator for Planned Parenthood who has taught in the district for 10 years. the rest