A group of Cambrian Park parents denounced a proposed sexual health education curriculum as “disgusting” and inappropriate for their fifth- and seventh-grade children during a school board meeting Thursday night. Related Articles Cupertino Schools: New sex-ed curriculum fails to pass after parent uproar

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The Cambrian School District Board of Education listened quietly during the April 20 meeting’s public comment period as five parents told it they were “deeply disappointed” with the course material. They also were upset about being notified only two days earlier that the school board plans to vote on the curriculum next month. Limited access to the course material, which is copyrighted and can only be viewed in person at district or school offices during business hours, also drew their ire.

“We are deeply disappointed at the Cambrian district’s move to adopt this curriculum,” said Andrew West, a father of three children who attend Farnham Elementary. “This is not age-appropriate. These are not conversations appropriate for fifth-graders in particular.”

The proposed change in sex ed curriculum was triggered by the California Healthy Youth Act,which went into effect last year. It requires all public schools “to ensure that all pupils in grades 7-12 … receive comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education.”

The outcry from parents in the Cupertino Union School District, who learned last month about a proposed new sex ed class there, spread like wildfire across some of the region’s other school districts. Earlier this week, parents lashed out at the Palo Alto school board after learning that the same course rejected by Cupertino had already been implemented in their own children’s classrooms unbeknownst to many of them.

In Cambrian, parents Keivan and Denise Tehrani said they were stunned to hear the material they reviewed is considered appropriate for their three young children and strongly urged the board to reject it.

“There were some good points in the curriculum, but we were also shocked and greatly disappointed,” Keivan Tehrani told the board. “There’s a valid reason that this exact curriculum was just recently rejected by the Cupertino Union School District.

“This curriculum is not education, parts of it is actually child pornography,” he added.

Denise Tehrani criticized the curriculum for being “extremely graphic” and chastised the district for not giving parents enough time to review it, as well as for proposing to teach the course in a co-ed setting.

“I can honestly say that much of what I read was disgusting,” Denise Tehrani said. “You are forcing sexual images and scenarios that the vast majority of our children are not dealing with. This curriculum is extremely graphic; the scenarios are very sexually suggestive and the object lessons are beyond sexually gross.”

The parents said they were not opposed to teaching proper sex education but want something that better serves their family.

“I’ve looked through the material and this does not suit Cambrian’s values or needs,” said Cori Reed. “I fully believe sex education should be taught, just not what this curriculum is presenting.”

District spokeswoman Danielle Smith told the Resident she sympathizes with parents about not getting copies of the curriculum but said there’s nothing the district can do.

“Unfortunately, that’s not our call and not our intellectual property,” Smith said. “I certainly understand the frustration with that, I get it. Unfortunately, our hands are tied on that.”

Smith noted that a district survey emailed to parents earlier indicated overall community support.

“Out of 105 people (responding), the vast majority said they’d be comfortable” with the curriculum, Smith said, adding that 15 percent indicated they’d be happy. About 18 percent requested some modifications, such as teaching boys and girls separately, according to Smith.

Though the new curriculum has made some people uncomfortable, Smith said others are “happy the conversation’s happening in the district and that everyone has a chance to share their view.”

The curriculum survey is available on the district website until April 28. The district’s superintendent of Education Services will give a report on the curriculum at the board’s May 4 meeting before it votes on the course later in the month.