Dozens of residents weigh in on sexual abstinence program in Parma schools
Published by anonymous May 14th, 2010 in AbstinenceThe citizens of Parma need to band together and keep Operation Keepsake in their schools. The youth of today need the right information that will help them counteract the unhealthy, mixed-messages they are receiving from the media and comprehensive programs. Monica Ols is correct when she stated, “The only thing that works is abstinence before marriage.”
Parma: About 50 people, young and old, went to City Hall on Monday to express their views and hear the debate on Operation Keepsake.
The differing opinions were one reason why City Council backed away from a resolution supporting the program, which encourages sexual abstinence among adolescents.
Daniel Sparks, a Parma Senior High School junior, said Operation Keepsake does teach young people how to make responsible and healthy decisions.
However, Sparks said council would overstep its authority if it passed a resolution supporting the program.
Sparks said the Parma City School District must decide whether it will continue using Operation Keepsake. The district is in the process of doing so.
Further, Sparks said pupils need information on how to avoid sexually transmitted diseases if they choose to have sex.
Sparks said he doesn’t believe Operation Keepsake provides such information for those pupils.
“They can’t be ignored,” Sparks said.
Horatio Lungo, a Parma resident, said more residents favor Operation Keepsake than oppose it.
Lungo said the program is needed because his son, a ninth-grader, was given a suggested school reading list that included a book with foul language.
“The schools don’t always do the best job,” Lungo said. “Sometimes they do need help.”
Molly Smith, executive director of Cleveland Right to Life, favorably compared Operation Keepsake with the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, which targets young people.
Smith said there’s a time when city officials should get involved with what’s going on in the schools and this is one of those times.
“We are in a position of leadership,” Smith said. “If we can’t lead our young people, shame on us.”
Jelena Loncar, a Parma high school junior, said that when she participated in Operation Keepsake she didn’t notice anyone benefiting from it.
Loncar doubted the effectiveness of Operation Keepsake. She said there were more than a dozen pregnant girls in her school, despite the program.
Loncar said her classmates didn’t take Operation Keepsake seriously.
“They say it’s not relevant to the lifestyles many live today,” Loncar said.
Ann Hanson, a Lakewood resident, said she has been in sexuality education for 25 years.
Hanson said she taught a variety of programs, including abstinence-based ones, but she learned that more comprehensive approaches are the most effective.
Hanson said children will make good life decisions if they are given honest and accurate information.
Monica Ols, a Parma resident, said children today have it rough because they are “bombarded” with sexually explicit materials through the media.
That’s why children need programs like Operation Keepsake, Ols said.
“The only thing that works is abstinence before marriage,” Ols said.
Source: ParmaSunNews.com
By Bob Sandrick