Some of you may remember that high school student Danny Sparks and several of his peers had taken on the Parma City School District (PCSD) for their lack of an acceptable sexual health education program, particularly using Operation Keepsake, an abstinence-only-until-marriage program as its fundamental source. Long before the first public address by the students at the PCSD Board meeting, students and supporters had tried unsuccessfully to get the administration to seriously examine the issue. So, in February of 2010, the students made their point in front of the Board and media outlets. Watch their presentations to the Board:





After publicly forcing the Board to address the issue, then PCSD Superintendent Dr. Zatik, agreed to meet with Danny and his peers.

The success that followed was a long time coming. The Parma City School District informed all Health teachers that they are no longer permitted to allow Operation Keepsake into the classrooms to provide their brand of abstinence-only-until-marriage programming. The District then created a “curriculum taskforce” to review current sexual health education and make a recommendation to the Board regarding their findings. This success was short lived as the “taskforce” commenced their meetings.

The creation of “taskforce”, its unfocused proceedings, and ultimately its status quo conclusion was wrought with problems from the onset. Danny had to once again address the Board, led by a new Superintendent, seeing that this was the only recourse that had provided a response the last time. Here is what he had to say:



During the time of the “taskforce”, two Public Health students, one graduate student and one bachelor student, utilizing their academic skills in gathering public health data, conducted a focus group of Parma City School District parents. Their findings support what Danny, his peers and supporters knew all along - Parma parents support a comprehensive sexual health education approach, despite what the opposition (both within and outside of the School District and administration) claimed.

Ashley Thompson, Master of Public Health Candidate, presented her findings of the Parma School District parent focus group she conducted to the Board at the same meeting Danny had given his impressions of the “taskforce”.



Both young people were professional, armed with data and research about their own experience in the classroom (in Danny’s case), and directly from the community (in Ashley’s case).

So what was the opposition’s response?

First up, a man who admits he's not even from the Parma City School District. His issue? He opposes comprehensive sexual health education in the Parma Schools and had some things to say about his 62 year marriage.



Next, we hear from a parent who begins his address to the Board using expletives to show his dismay at Logo TV being there to tape the proceedings for a documentary. He is reminded by the Board President to be respectful. Later, he begins to try to personally debate with Danny in his speech and again is reprimanded by the Board President.



In the end, Parma City School District Superintendent Dr. Graham tries to sum up some of what has gotten the students and the District to this point, and commended Danny and the young people for the “appropriate job” they have done going about this issue.



Following the whole surreal event, Ashley provides her take on the experience:



We have yet to see what will eventually happen in Parma. It’s been a long three year struggle with a few successes and many setbacks. But as the saying goes – “Advocacy is not an event, it’s a process”. We know that along the way these young people have changed hearts and minds in their community, and solidified others. And at this point, I think that’s a huge success.