A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about the possibility that a central Texas school district would ditch abstinence-only policies and adopt abstinence-plus. Now I’m writing about that reality.

In a 5-2 decision Monday night, the San Marcos CISD Board of Trustees voted to improve their sex-education curriculum. They gave the boot to Scott & White’s abstinence-only Worth the Wait curriculum in favor of a more comprehensive approach to teaching about sexuality. The new policy will highlight information about contraceptives, including condoms.

The move didn’t come without opposition though.

“I assume that the majority students at San Marcos High School are Christian,” Trustee David Castillo said. “And if that is the case, then this whole thing is anti-Christian.”

Sounds to me like David Castillo needs a lesson in separation of church and state.

Trustee Castillo and Trustee Jesse Ponce were the two who voted against the change. According to the San Marcos Local News “Ponce expressed horror at reading a proposed abstinence plus curricula that teaches students how to use condoms.”

“That has never left my mind,” Ponce said. “That part I read where he shows someone how to put on a condom — that only tells me one thing.”

Other Trustees said they believed their Christian religious beliefs did not conflict with the teaching of abstinence-plus.

They also spoke up against the idea of removing controversial subject matter, such as condom usage, due to the sentiments of the majority of the community.

Members of the Unitarian Universalist church also spoke out in support of the abstinence-plus change.

They demonstrated that people of faith are a powerful ally in our fight for comprehensive sex-ed.

The School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) is the group that made the recommendation to the Board.

This case serves as an example of the effectiveness of SHACs and the impact they can have on local policy.

If you want to change the sex-ed curriculum in your local schools, join a SHAC.

Once the recommendation had been made Amanda Domaschk, local progressive activist and rapid responder for the Texas Youth Leadership Council, sounded the alarm and activated young people and progressives in her community to pressure the Board of Trustees to support abstinence-plus.

She used e-mail, Facebook and personal phone calls to accomplish this.

The co-author of the Texas Freedom Network’s report Just Say Don’t Know: Sexuality Education in Texas Public Schools, Dr. David Wiley, also pressured the Board to adopt abstinence-plus.

Dr. Wiley is an expert on public health and sexual education and the report he helped author demonstrates that 94% of Texas school districts teach abstinence-only.

2.3% teach nothing at all and 3.6% of school districts teach abstinence-plus.

The Texas Freedom Network also sent out a message to its members in the San Marcos area, including students at Texas State University which is located in the city, to become active. In this way students who previously signed the Youth Leadership Council’s Education Works petition for comprehensive sex-ed helped to make a difference.

Soon, the TFN Youth Leadership Council will have two members living in San Marcos and attending Texas State University where they can join this SHAC and push even harder for fully comprehensive sex-ed.

Read the full story here.