North East ISD Athletic Department

VIRGIL T. BLOSSOM ATHLETIC CENTER

Executive Director Director/Athletics Director/Athletics Director/Athletics Director/Athletics

Karen Funk Terry Peel Timothy Woods Stacey Moore Kelly Parker
Aquatics Coordinator Director PE/Health/Athletics Tennis Coordinator
David Johnson Rachel Naylor Patrick Johnson

January 20, 2017

Via U.S. Regular and

Certified Mail
Melissa Beckett
910 La Falda
San Antonio, Texas 78258

Re: Presentation

Dear Mrs. Beckett:

It has come to our attention that you intend to make an upcoming presentation at
Holy Trinity Banquet Hall on January 24, 2017. Part of your presentation claims that the
District's 6th_8th grade human sexuality instruction program violates the state's education
code. I am writing in advance of your presentation to address your contention, which is a
misrepresentation of the District's program. Your effort to vilify the District by making
such a contention is without foundation, and it intends to vigorously pursue any and all
means necessary to defend against this accusation.

Section 28.004 of the Texas Education Code governs both the establishment of a
local school health advisory council (SHAC) and places the exclusive authority with a
school district's board of trustees to adopt the course materials and instruction on human
sexuality education, with advice from its SHAC. Section 28.004(e) also provides the
required parameters for human sexuality instruction, which require promotion of
abstinence from sexual activity as the best method for students to protect against pregnancy,
sexually transmitted disease, HIV infection or emotional trauma. The law also requires
that whatever program the Board adopts devote more attention to abstinence, but does not
require that abstinence be the only information presented. There is also no law that requires
a specific percentage or number oftimes that the word "abstinence" be used in the materials,
so long as the overall information presented complies with the requirement that it be
presented as the best option.

The North East Independent School District has fully complied with the Education
Code in all respects. The SHAC worked for months on reviewing and selecting the human
sexuality instruction curriculum to be presented to the Board of Trustees for consideration.
The curriculum selected and ultimately adopted by the Board satisfies all of the legal
requirements for abstinence-based human sexuality instruction, in that it presents
abstinence as the best option for students in all respects. In no way does any part of the
District's curriculum promote or encourage students to engage in sexual activity of any

12002 Jones Maltsberger Road • San Antonio , Texas 78216-2917 • (210) 356-6900 • FAX (210) 491-6135
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kind. To suggest otherwise is simply inaccurate. Rather, the material presented is intended
to give students information so that they may understand how abstinence is the best choice
when placed in real-life situations where they must make decisions.

We understand the sensitivity of this topic, and certainly have no issue with
individual families' beliefs and choices with regard to this type of instruction. Ultimately,
this is why Section 28.004 gives parents and guardians the right to review the curriculum
materials in advance and then be able to decide that their child not participate in any aspect
of the instruction. This is the reason the District has conducted multiple parent preview
meetings on this topic during the fall semester of the 2016-17 school year, with more to
come in the spring semester, and has gone above the state's requirement by actually
requiring parents to grant permission to allow their children to participate in human
sexuality instruction at all. Parents and guardians may also schedule an individual time to
come review the materials. In short, any parent or guardian has the right not to have their
child receive instruction, which is fully in compliance with Section 28.004.

Again, we understand that there is disagreement about this topic, and that everyone
is fully entitled to an opinion on the curriculum. The District denies, however, that it has
"violated the state's education code," and will defend itself vigorously against any claim
that it has done so. As such, the District requests that you refrain from making such an
unfounded claim in any further publications or presentations.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

hel Naylor
~~
Director for PE/Health/Athletics

Cc: Holy Trinity Church

Dr. Donna Newman, Associate Superintendent for
Campus Administration and Human Resources