Gay-free texts a dilemma for school district

Salt Lake Tribune ^ | 2/18/05 | Mark Eddington

[colorcountry]

The topic of homosexuality is taboo in the Nebo School District.

So the school district in southern Utah County is having trouble finding a replacement for outmoded psychology textbooks at its three high schools.

Priscilla Leek, a Springville High School psychology teacher who sits on a district committee that reviews teaching materials, says the world has changed in the seven years since the district last chose a psychology textbook.

"Most publishers have now included small amounts - a paragraph or couple of pages - in texts about homosexuality," Leek said. "I don't teach homosexuality. But if it appears in a textbook, there's nothing I can do to keep students from reading it."

Despite their difficulty in finding new basic-level psychology schoolbooks, Nebo school board members told Leek and others this week to keep on looking.

State law bans teachers or texts from advocating homosexuality, but Nebo District's policy is more restrictive.

"Our policy is that it will not be taught unless it is teaching the negative consequences thereof," said Nedra Call, Nebo's director of curriculum.

[L98Fiero]

"Our policy is that it will not be taught unless it is teaching the negative consequences thereof," said Nedra Call, Nebo's director of curriculum.

Cajones.

[longtermmemmory]

Bump for text book publishers to take note.


MANY states have laws which PROHIBIT homsoexuality to be taught as a positive lifestyle.

http://www.findlaw.com

[wk4bush2004]

I agree with the Utah state law. But we can probably expect the communist ACLU (which stands for Anti-Christian Liberal Union) to jump all over this.

[deepFR]

They should see if NARTH will produce the textbooks for them.

[BenLurkin]

How exactly does a psychology text book become "outmoded"?

Are people who were mentally ill last year not ill this year?

[longtermmemmory]

same law is in texas which recently ordered a text book maker to ensure marriage is one MAN and one WOMAN.

But texas is big enough to have shoving power.

[Tax-chick]

Psychology in high school? Well, good luck to them. Maybe they could find something from a reprint publisher, or use copies of articles.

[colorcountry]

I knew if I posted this, some good ideas would surface.

Thanks!

[tfecw]

naw it's pretty easy for them to get out dated. It's not like math that doesn't change

2+2 = 4 until the socialist left comes along and changes that to 2+2 =5 ;)

usually you see the treatments that get changed more so then the illness. thing like electroshock therapy (which is somehow coming back little by little now) and lobotomies used to be "good" ideas now that doesn't happen so much.

[longtermmemmory]

The insides can become dated. (pictures of people etc.)

References can become irrelevant. (commitment to mental hospitals in the USSR as political control.)

[Tax-chick]

Are people who were mentally ill last year not ill this year?

That's precisely correct ... and people who were not mentally ill last year (maybe they were just annoying, or unhappy) are now mentally ill.

[bboop]

They will find more common sense in 'outmoded' texts, I might suggest. We have 1958 World Books. They are wonderful. Nothing PC in them. Psychology probably made more sense back then too.

[newgeezer]

we can probably expect the communist ACLU (which stands for Anti-Christian Liberal Union) to jump all over this.

We'll soon find out whether it's Anti-Mormon, too.

[Tweaker]

""There are students [in the Nebo District] who will grow up to be gay. To not give them any exposure or education on homosexuality is unfortunate and only contributes to the difficulty gay people have in our society.""

A lot less of them will choose to be homosexuals if they are not exposed to it or if the exposure is negative.
Good for the Nebo School District.

[newgeezer]

How exactly does a psychology text book become "outmoded"?

Does "lobotomy" ring a bell?

[colorcountry]

The article goes on to say...(finding appropriate Textbooks)... might prove impossible, but says students' educational experience will not be adversely impacted if they are forced to do without a book.
"I can find current research material, selected readings and we have the Internet," Leek said. "I mean we're not living in a cave."

[M. Dodge Thomas]

"O brave new world, to have no such creatures in it."

I suppose it's an improvement over teaching "they" should be burned at the stake, however.

[JoJo Gunn]

I'm surprised the child predators of GLSEN (Fistgate) hasn't been there yet.