The newly sworn-in School Board members from right Doug Johnson, D. Brian Phillips and Camilla Washington
“I can tell you the policy was not followed. Ms. [Donna] Douma is right,” Superintendent Dr. Thomas Smith said.
“Worth Your Wait” is a program given to students to fulfill the family life requirements of the Virginia Standards of Learning. The survey part of the program came into question when Douma alerted the board with the exact wording of the questions during last meeting’s public comments.
The survey in question asks students of their sexual experiences. Directly after a question about certain sexual experiences, the survey asks when the last time that sexual experience occurred. Students are also asked to put their first name initial, mother’s first name initial, month of birth and day of birth as identifiers.
Initially the board questioned the identifiers as part of the survey. Representatives from “Worth Your Wait” said the identifiers were important to track the success of the program over years.
School Board member D. Brian Phillips, Rivanna District, told his eighth grade son, “As long as those identifiers are there, you will not be taking [the survey].”
School Board chairwoman Barbara Gibbons, Rivanna District, took issue to the order of the questions; giving the impression if a student is not doing the sexual act, perhaps everyone else is.
Smith said he was led to believe the survey was required and school districts could not opt out of the survey. “Worth Your Wait” representatives are afraid if the district declines to do the survey, the funding from a federal grant could stop but there is no certainty either way. If Fluvanna decides not to offer the survey, the district will be the only district “Worth Your Wait” does not offer the survey to.
The representatives agreed to not offer Fluvanna students the survey for the remainder of the school year. A community board made up of teachers, health practitioners and parents will re-evaluate the program this summer. The School Board will make a decision on the program after the review. During this same time, “Worth Your Wait” will look to improve the program as well as the survey using input from a research company and the districts that use the program.
Douma addressed the board, for the second time in as many meetings, after the initial discussion and said, “You have failed me. You have failed my children.”
Parents were not properly notified of the survey by a 30-day pre-survey period, the identifiers on the survey nor what the survey would ask. Also, FCPS typically requires prior parental permission for all surveys given to students.
“I do not know why that didn’t happen,” Smith said. He continued the matter was being looked into internally.
According to Virginia statute 22.1-207.2, parents and guardians, “have the right to review the complete family life curricula, including all supplemental materials used in any family life education program.” Also, the information provided to the parents should reflect the program as taught in the classroom.
The second of two letters sent to parents was mailed too late to constitute an appropriate time for parental review and did not accurately identify the scope of the survey.
School Board vice-chairman Thomas Muir, Palmyra District, said, “I am sorry the policy was not followed.”
Phillips added, “I promise you we will do better.”
“Worth Your Wait” has been used in Fluvanna Middle School since the 2005-2006 school year according to Dr. Patty Culotta, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction. After a very supportive response from students and teachers, Fluvanna County High School implemented the program in the 2007-2008 school year.
The program was selected because it places importance on abstinence as opposed to just safe-sex. At the December meeting, FMS principal Kathryn M. Driver said teachers took a liking to the curriculum because of the abstinence stance.
Per FCPS policy, Smith or his designee must approve instructional materials for family life education. Culotta said she reviewed a curriculum packet but it did not include the questioned survey. Also, each school reviewed the material.
This is the second year in a row the survey has been used by “Worth Your Wait.” Fluvanna is the only district that uses the program that has questioned the survey according to the program’s representatives.
Earlier in the meeting the School Board unanimously approved a measure to send five individuals to PowerSchool University to learn how to use PowerSchool. The computer program handles scheduling, attendance, open grade book for parents, demographic statistics and easily responds to state required reports, among other things.
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