There has been a lot of debate recently regarding HB19-1032, or the bill to amend the Comprehensive Human Sexuality Education law that dictates how and what our public schools teach when it pertains to “sex education”. Prior to this bill, public schools were required to teach a state mandated sex education curriculum as early as 5th grade. There were some exceptions to this requirement, including exemptions for charter schools and certain rural based schools. Also, prior to this, schools were permitted to teach abstinence along with the other mandated standards set by the state. HB19-1032 changes this.
The new law stipulates that all schools that receive public funding are required to teach a comprehensive sex education curriculum as mandated by the state. This includes charter schools who were previously exempted from having a dictated curriculum. In prior years, many parents who were concerned with what their children were being taught moved their children into charter schools because they provided a benefit of the public funding pool with a greater degree of choice in what their children were being taught. With the passage of this bill, all schools that receive public funding must teach to these updated standards that include a curriculum that espouses LGBT+ indoctrination, eliminates abstinence, and encourages gender exploration and cross-identifying. While the bill does allow for parents to be notified when the sex education curriculum is going to be taught and then opt their children out of the course, it does not mandate that the other aspects (gender programming, gender expression, or sexual orientation, etc.) be announced or opted out of when utilized outside the limited scope of “sex education”. This essentially allows a school or teacher to integrate this material into the classroom without having to notify parents for students as early as 4th grade.
This presents a problem for parents who hold to the Biblical view of human sexuality, because they are at the mercy of a teacher or school who hold opposing views of this topic and have the ability to turn time that should be allocated to learning the fundamentals of good literacy (Math, Reading, Writing, Science, and History, etc.) into a time of indoctrination toward their views. While proponents of this bill may say that it provides a well-rounded approach to all of the subjects our society deals with in regards to human sexuality, it leaves a wide open door for those who would seek to influence children against traditional sexuality and moral and scriptural principles many of us hold to.
While this sounds difficult to fathom, it is entirely possible and history shows that this will happen. All is not lost, though. There are many people and organizations standing up against this legislation to overturn it, and with your prayer and support, it may go down in defeat in the near future. In the meantime, you have an option in your child’s education. Privately-funded schools like Springs Baptist Academy are not required to teach any of this curriculum and since we hold to the Biblical view on sexuality, we believe it is up to the home and church to teach these concepts to young people. While we may come alongside the home and offer any assistance we can, we are committed to an abstinence approach on the topic and leave this up to the discretion of parents.
We encourage you to exercise your right as a parent and choose an education that focuses on what’s important for your child-the development of the mind and soul to excel in its God-given gifts and talents. At Springs Baptist Academy, we focus on teaching our students how to know God and how to prepare academically for success as adults. Our education structure is geared toward developing young men and women who know who they are, have the skills to succeed in life, and understand their duty to their Creator. If you’re wondering what we can do to help you achieve success in education your children, stop by today and visit us.
For the text of HB19-1032, please visit the Colorado legislature page for it here.