Sex abuse instruction too explicit, parents say

BOSTON -- A parents' group has complained that the Boston archdiocese's new sex abuse prevention curriculum, "Talking About Touching," is too explicit and violates a parent's right to have the ultimate say over their child's education.

The program began in late fall in the kindergarten through fourth grades as part of reforms aimed at better protecting children from sex abuse. A group of about 30 parents complain the curriculum specifically names body parts and presents scenarios inappropriate for young children.

"It has the potential to undermine their innocence," said Bill Germino, who helped form the parents' group.

Parents are also unhappy that the archdiocese bars them from the classroom when the program is being taught.

"Parents are asking, 'What are we paying for?' "We're supposed to have more say in a Catholic school than in a public school," said Germino, father of a 5-year-old Catholic school student.

Archdiocese's spokesman Rev. Christopher Coyne said the curriculum focuses on child safety, not just sexual abuse, and has been successfully used around the country.

The "Talking About Touching" curriculum was recommended by a panel formed by Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned as archbishop in December after revelations that church officials had moved known pedophile priests between parishes for decades.

The archdiocese now has about 500 clergy sex abuse lawsuits pending against it.

The curriculum, developed by the Seattle-based nonprofit company, Committee for Children, is used by about 3,000 schools in North America, said company spokeswoman Lois Matheson. The Boston Archdiocese covers part of eastern Massachusetts, an area home to about 2 million Catholics.

It teaches children to recognize and prevent sex abuse within a broader focus on child safety, introducing the topic after emphasizing basic rules for preventing things such as fires.

Pauline Irwin, mother of three Catholic school children, said most of the program is excellent, but she objected to what she called explicit examples of sex abuse, saying they raise baseless fears or inappropriate questions about sex.

"Their minds don't need that," she said. "You start putting these things into kid's heads."

In one of the scenarios, the friend of a girl's foster mother touches her under her nightgown, and the girl wonders what she should do. The scenario uses an explicit word for the body part where the girl is touched.

Matheson said teachers are trained to substitute generic terms like "private parts" if they think explicit terms are inappropriate. She also argued that giving examples is a proven style of learning.

"It engages children in a scene they can relate to," she said. "You put it in context."

Matheson said the curriculum also emphasizes heavy parental involvement, and she questioned the archdiocese's decision to bar parents from class. Coyne said he didn't immediately know why parents were barred.

Irwin said she just wants the archdiocese to show it recognizes parents are their children's' primary educators.

"It's not another group against the church," she said. "It's a parental rights issue."

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On the Net:

Concerned parents group: http://www.germino.biz/scsparents/