Representative Ehardt explains sex education bill draft

Idaho Falls state representative, Barbara Ehard is drafting a bill that could change how Idaho students take part in sex education in schools.

She tells Local News 8 and KIDK Eyewitness News 3 the bill would change a state code so parents have to opt their child into sex education, instead of opting them out.

Ehardt says parents have expressed concerns about the fact that the course is supposed to teach an abstinence based approach to sex education.

She says, that is not what the students are being taught.

“Instead (it) encourages them through the use of role playing, how to use the proper materials that will keep (kids) from supposedly getting pregnant,” Said Ehardt. “Interestingly enough, as homework assignments the kids are given papers where they have to go out and they have to go to a number of different places to find condoms….This program then essentially encourages the kids to also find clinics, and we all know what can happen at clinics.”

Representative Ehardt’s goal with the bill is to give parents more control over what their kids are and what they are not learning.

She is concerned the information about the program is not getting to the parents and some don’t know they have a choice for their kids to opt out of the course.

“There in lies my concern, because we can do better than this is not what we have to do. By choosing to promote an ‘opt in’ as opposed to an opt out, we continue to empower parents put their parental rights with transparency and bringing to the forefront essentially what would be being taught should the parents choose to have their kids engaged in that activity,” Said Ehardt.

She says there are other programs that other states use and are finding success with that are true abstinence programs.

She has a meeting this week, in hopes to open the conversation with parents, lawmakers and school board to work on changes to the curriculum.