By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
NEWPORT- A notice sent home with students of Richards Elementary School has raised concerns with some community members. The letter, a returning curriculum announcement, is a collaboration between the Newport School District and Turning Points Network (TPN).
The letter, signed by Richards Elementary School principal Robert Clark, outlined a program that will focus on health education and violence prevention. TPN will be training staff on speaking with students on topics such as asking for help, feelings, bodies, babies and asking for permission.
The program will be utilizing anatomically correct dolls and language to teach children about respecting bodies, public vs private parts, and asking permission before touching someone else. “It also includes anatomically correct language because that’s a protective factor. If someone is looking to harm a child and the child knows the accurate names for body parts, it lets a parent know someone is talking about those parts with their child,” TPN senior prevention educator Kerry Rochford Hague said of the nature of the programming.
The program also features a segment regarding feeding, holding, and helping change diapers for infants. Before and after the program, students will receive anonymous surveys to determine what they have learned.
“There are different lessons and topics for different grade levels and they are all really focused on sexual abuse prevention and strongly rooted in social emotional learning,” Hague said of the program, who went on to speak to the importance of consistent education on these subjects. “Also, because we are working with students, each year the topics and skills really scaffold,” she said. “What we are talking about with second and third graders becomes a foundation for what we discuss with fourth and fifth graders.”
While some Newport residents have taken to social media to address concerns surrounding where and when children should be educated on these subjects, Newport Superintendent Donna Magoon spoke to the fact that any parent may choose to opt out of this curriculum. She also stated that the Newport School District sees itself as acting in conjunction with families to help educate children regarding subjects that are beneficial to students.
According to Hague and Magoon, this curriculum has been offered in years past in Newport but the COVID-19 pandemic guidelines made it impossible for TPN staff to come to the school to educate children and school staff. Hague also stated that it was in line with legislation that passed last year in New Hampshire that required schools to offer educational information of this nature and that schools in other districts, such as Claremont, offer this program as well.
An initial forum for parents to attend will be taking place on Monday, February 6, at Richards Elementary School at 5pm. Both TPN staff and Richards School Administration will be in attendance to answer any questions families may have.
An email had been sent to parents stating that this program was canceled until further notice but, according to Magoon, this was to prepare for the February 6 meeting. “We are going to have the forum for anyone that wants to come in and just have a conversation about what the program is,” Magoon said, going on to clarify, “We are still moving forward with the program and we feel that it’s very valuable.”
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention updated information last year which stated that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys are the victims of child sexual abuse. In their report, they also stated that the largest gaps in resources are preventative, stating that currently the majority of resources available have focused on treatment for victims.
“The more adults that these kids have that they can trust, the better,” said director of curriculum with SAU 43 Brynn Kane.
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