Audit Underway on Memphis City Schools Sex Education Curriculum

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Is the sex education program at Memphis City Schools in place and working as the state mandates? That's what an internal audit at the district is looking to discover.

The audit was initiated last by the Deputy Superintendent, and pushed along by a resolution passed late last year by the Memphis City School Board. Since then, the district has been looking at itself to see if the current curriculum is working, and what ways it can improve.

It was a presentation to the Memphis City School Board that sparked commissioner Martavius Jones to action, passing a resolution to reduce teen pregnancies in Memphis City Schools.

"There was a statistic in there that was quite alarming to me that talked about the increase in teen pregnancies in Shelby County," said Jones. "In the years I've been on the board, we've never had that discussion as a community, as a board, to talk about what we currently have in place, is it working."

The current program, Family Life Curriculum, is based on state guidelines and mandates. Right now, the curriculum is undergoing an audit, requested by Deputy Superintendent Dr. Irving Hamer. The audit started back in the fall of 2010. Dr. Cassandra Turner, former Frayser High School principal, is in the process of visiting all high schools and charter schools to make sure they have, follow, and understand the Family Life Curriculum. Turner reports that so far, so good, but said she is listening to concerns from outside parties about how to improve the curriculum.

Barry Chase, CEO of Planned Parenthood, has read the curriculum and calls it fundamentally sound, but he has some suggestions for change.

"We need parental involvement, we need community involvement, we need media support, this has to be a community effort," Chase said. "The qualification, the experience of the people who are providing it to the students, I'm not sure they are prepared."

Another criticism is the class is taught once in high school, and kids never hear it again.

"Just when teenagers are most liable to begin sexual activity, if they haven't earlier, there is no more education, there is no more conversation, there is no more interaction," Chase observed.

The district maintains they are following state mandates in administering the class to students. Once the audit is complete, Dr. Turner will submit the results to Dr. Hamer. Turner said that she will continue to do follow-up visits at the school, added that there was no method in place to survey students and their thoughts on the effectiveness of the curriculum.