On April 20, The Catholic Anchor, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Anchorage, published a story about a grant that the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services applied for and was to receive to provide comprehensive sex education in certain educational settings. Three days later, according to the paper, the state withdrew support of the program at the direction of Gov. Sean Parnell and spurned the approximately $600,000 the state would have received over five years for the program.
The program that was to be used, entitled "Making Proud Choices!" focuses on condoms, rather than on abstinence-based curriculum. The program would have been used for youth in five correctional and behavioral facilities and alternative high schools across the state. According to its website, "Making Proud Choices!" is designed for "Young African-American, Hispanic and White adolescents, ages 11-13 … Specifically, this curriculum emphasizes that they can reduce their risk for STDs, HIV, and pregnancy by using a condom, if they choose to have sex," the website says.
The state has little say over what sex ed programs local schools use. Those decisions are decided at the district level, and ultimately approved by the school board.
William Streur, Alaska's Department of Health and Social Services commissioner, said in an interview that he wished he would have looked more closely at "Making Proud Choices!" before his department chose it. The next time the state applies for federal sex education funding, it will try to use the program called, "Making a Difference!" which is an abstinence based program that, unlike many other abstinence programs, does mention the importance of condom use. The differences are "subtle" Streur said, but more in keeping with the administration's philosophy. "This is an abstinence based administration," Streur said.
In any case, Streur doesn't know if the program will be funded in the future. The grant period is over. For now, he said, "the money is gone." Nor does he know if the new curriculum will match federal guidelines for such programs. Under Obama's administration, the focus on sex education is a shift from abstinence-only to teen pregnancy prevention.
Contact Amanda Coyne at amanda(at)alaskadispatch.com