Broward School Board OKs sex education curriculum; ends PROMISE diversionary program
FORT LAUDERDALE - The Broward County School Board on Tuesday took up two controversial decisions during its meeting Tuesday, narrowly adopting a sex education curriculum but then voting to abolish its PROMISE Program.
The two decisions occurred following a heated board meeting in which at least two speakers were escorted out of the room during the debate over the sex education curriculum.
Both topics were controversial and at least two speakers were escorted out of the meeting following fiery comments to the board.
Sex education curriculum
The board voted 5-4 to to approve the reproductive health and disease prevention education materials for all of students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The vote will now send the material to the Florida Department of Education for approval.
The vote followed nearly two hours of heated debate that saw the ejection of two speakers on opposite sides of the issue.
Whole some parents felt the coursework explained the complex topic fairly, others believe it goes too far.
The curriculum will be sent to Tallahassee for final approval. It is scheduled to be offered next spring.
Parents can opt out of the teaching instruction by complete a form.
According to the school district, the creation of the curriculum has been an ongoing discussion since June. They've received feedback from parents, teachers, and even students on the lessons.
If the board had voted no, the supplemental instruction on reproductive health and disease prevention would not have been taught.
"I have a right to speak!" one parent said while being escorted out of the meeting.
PROMISE Program scrapped
Broward board members also agreed to end the PROMISE Program, which has faced major backlash after the Parkland school massacre.
The program, which stands for Preventing Recidivism through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education, offers some students who are accused of misdemeanor crimes an alternative to being arrested. Instead, the students are issued a non criminal citation by the district, sent to alternative schools, and are given counseling and other services the district supplies.
The program came under scrutiny in 2018 because the Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz was assigned to the program but never completed it.
Now that the program has been abolished, the district will no longer give civil citations, and a student's fate when committing a misdemeanor will be decided by law enforcement officials.
CBS News Miami reporter Joan Murray contributed to this report.
