Modesto City Schools’ proposed 5th-grade sex ed faces backlash from community
The room was overpacked at Monday night’s Modesto City Schools board meeting as community members arrived with signs and strong opinions about the district’s proposed fifth-grade sex education curriculum.
Board President Abel Maestas noted that the board had received a flood of feedback from the public ahead of the meeting, including voicemails, emails and even hourlong video messages.
During public comment, about 28 speakers addressed the board, each limited to 90 seconds for the sake of time. Most expressed strong opposition to the curriculum, calling it too sexualized and confusing for 10-year-olds.
“I am concerned this curriculum can open the door to grooming behaviors, emotional manipulation and sexual assault and abuse. Instead of protecting the children, this curriculum introduces emotional and conceptual confusion at a very vulnerable age,” said Alexis Jones, a parent and former MCS student.
A few speakers voiced support for adopting the curriculum, arguing that children already are exposed to this information and would benefit from learning it in a structured classroom setting. They added that public education should not be influenced by the beliefs of any one religion.
“It’s our responsibility to ensure they get answers rooted in science, not silence,” said Shy Lloyd, a parent. “Educators, not the internet, should be the ones teaching them.”
Trustees are considering two curriculum options: “Puberty Talk for Grades 5 & 6” and “Puberty: The Wonder Years, Grade 5.” A 16-member committee made up of teachers, parents, board members and district staff reviewed the options over five meetings and ultimately recommended “Puberty Talk” in a 10-5 vote.
The board will vote on the curriculum at its next meeting, June 23.
Content related to anatomy and reproduction was omitted from the Puberty Talk curriculum, in line with the committee’s recommendation, according to Sarah Olson, senior director of curriculum and instruction, who presented the report at the meeting.
Puberty Talk is already in use in San Jose and several other districts in Bay Area cities.
The curriculum discusses topics including hygiene, nutrition, puberty, internet safety, social influences, healthy communication and relationships. The California Healthy Youth Act also requires the inclusion of topics such as gender concepts and recognition of diverse sexual orientations when health education is offered.
Classroom instruction must recognize diverse sexual orientations including same-sex relationships, teach gender concepts and address gender expression, gender identity and the harm of negative stereotypes, the CHYA says. Health education also must include medically accurate, objective information that is appropriate for students “of all races, genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds.”
The curriculum aims to teach fifth-graders, who are beginning to show early signs of puberty, how to recognize sexual harassment and abuse and know how to report inappropriate touching or child abuse.
Parents have the right to opt their children out of this instruction by submitting a form at least 14 days before the lessons begin. They may choose to opt out of specific parts of the curriculum rather than the entire program; however, according to Olson, the content on gender identity cannot be opted out of separately.
“Opt out. That’s your right. Do not unilaterally opt all children out of this information,” said Celia Garcia Vargas, a parent and MCS alumni, who supports the curriculum.
“Yes, you have this opt-out thing, but children are still going to be exposed to other children that are going through that program, so they are not being protected in any way, shape or form,” said Elaine Hill, a retired MCS teacher.
Mentions of diverse sexual orientations and identities often met were with groans from the public, while each public commenter received loud cheers in response.
Board member Jolene Daly recently spoke at two community gatherings, one on Saturday at the Celebration Center church in Modesto, arguing that fifth-graders are not psychologically prepared for lessons on gender identity and sexual activity. She echoed similar concerns during Monday’s board meeting, challenging the assumption that children already know this information from the internet or their peers.
“So the state of California and we as the city school board talk about cultural competence, yet we’re not, really. Do we not realize that the faith-based community is a culture, or do we just not care?” Daly said.
During the meeting, Daly attempted to make a motion to vote on the curriculum that night, but her request was denied because it would have violated the Brown Act.
Under the CHYA, students must receive sexual health instruction at least once in middle school and once in high school. While districts may offer age-appropriate lessons before seventh grade, it is not a requirement.
District’s sex education criticized
Daly raised concerns about the district spending $33,000 on the proposed fifth-grade curriculum this year, questioning why the district wouldn’t use free resources like those offered by the Modesto Pregnancy Center. She also suggested that other local organizations, such as the Sheriff’s Office, might be willing to provide parts of the curriculum at no cost.
However, last year, state Attorney General Rob Bonta sent a letter to the Modesto Pregnancy Center alleging that the facility provided inaccurate and biased sex education materials and presentations to MCS, in violation of the CHYA. The letter followed concerns raised by parents about the sex ed content and a formal complaint filed with the California Department of Justice.
CHYA requires sex education to include objective information about abortion. However, the pregnancy center’s curriculum contains only a single paragraph referencing abortion. Additionally, its list of local health clinics excludes reproductive health centers that offer abortion services, such as Planned Parenthood and FPA Women’s Health.
The Modesto Pregnancy Center is a faith-based nonprofit founded in 1990. According to its 2022 tax filings, its mission is “dedicated to protecting the unborn, providing for those facing crisis pregnancies and post-abortion trauma and promoting healthy relationships through a system of support with the love of Jesus Christ.”
Research shows that increased funding for comprehensive sex education is associated with an overall reduction in teen birth rates by more than 3% at the county level. Stanislaus County ranks 11th among California counties for the highest teen pregnancy rates.
A committee of high school health teachers recommended adopting “Teen Talk, Middle School: A Comprehensive Sexuality Education Curriculum,” with materials costing approximately $20,000.
The board approved the new sex education materials published by Health Connected, which were taught to eighth-graders during the past school year. According to the district, 33 students opted out of the curriculum.
Daly said that based on Monday night’s meeting, she believes the majority of students will opt out, making the expenditure a potential waste of funds.
She said the district could allocate the $33,000 elsewhere, such as funding a teacher’s salary. The starting salary for a teacher at Modesto City Schools is $73,091.
“I find it really interesting that last year there was a huge push to remove Modesto Pregnancy Center from teaching the eighth-grade health curriculum because it was a faith-based organization. Are we not being hypocritical by going the absolute opposite direction and trying to push an extremely progressive gender ideology?” Daly said.
How can the public review the curriculum?
Both curriculum options are available for public review until Friday, June 20, except Thursday, June 19, which is a holiday. Families are invited to visit the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Professional Development, Building B, at 1017 Reno Ave. to request access to the materials.
Regular hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additional viewing times will be offered Saturday, June 14, from 8 a.m. to noon, and Friday, June 20, until 7 p.m.
According to the district, the curriculum cannot be emailed due to limited copies being available for public review. As copyrighted material owned by the publisher, Modesto City Schools does not have distribution rights.
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 2:55 PM.
