State board considering health standards pause

    This week, members of the State Board of Education will consider whether to postpone development of its controversial state health standards.
    A “Statement on Health Education Standards” is at the end of a very long meeting agenda Friday that starts at 9 a.m. CT in Omaha.
    The statement, being introduced by the board’s Teaching, Learning and Serving Committee, acknowledges the public comment it has received on the health standards draft, and other statements show board member concerns about how the standards were developed.
    Board members also cite requests to postpone additional initiatives “until after the Covid-19 pandemic.”
    An initial draft released in March drew immediate comment across the state, including Imperial.
    Sheila Stromberger, a former CCS board member, first attended the board’s April meeting, expressing concern on the standards. She’s been at all of the local meetings since January.
    In April, the CCS board supported a letter that opposed the health standards draft.
    It expressed concern with infringing on parents’ rights to teach their children these topics.
    A full page advertisement, titled “Do you want gender identity taught in Chase County Schools?” ran in this newspaper in April, paid for by the Westside Church of Christ.
    Some of the criticism, locally and across the state, attacked the standards as sexualizing children and introducing them to topics like gender identity before they were old enough to understand.
    Stromberger, while saying it’s encouraging to see the statement will be considered, she has her doubts on the intent.
    “ I am skeptical because they have lost the trust of many, including me. I believe it is not a coincidence that the SBOE seems to be backtracking at this time in the process,” she said.
    Stromberger said the state board has been working on health standards for two years and COVID has been around for 18 months. She said the tie to COVID doesn’t fly.
    “I believe the timing of the statement to hold off on the health standards has more to do with the fact that a Freedom Of Information Act request turned up emails between the state board members, NE Dept. of Education staff and members of several activist groups that were participating in the health standards process,” she said.
    Stromberger said she does not trust the state board, and along with many other concerned Nebraskans, pledged to continue to monitor what is brought forth.
    CCS Supt. Adam Lambert said he fully supports the state board’s postponement of health standards development.
    Last week, superintendents across the state had a webinar with Commissioner of Education Mathew Blomstedt, when Blomstedt stated they were “pulling back on this.”
    “With all the public pressure it’s good they are stopping it. It’s good for both the state and NDE,” he said.
    Lambert said Blomstedt also announced in last week’s webinar that they are halting further work on Rule 10 changes, as well.
    Stromberger said she looks forward to 2022 and the possibility the Nebraska Unicameral will bring forth legislation changing how the state board and NDE do business.
    She added she’s hopeful,“The elections next fall will have a positive impact on who sits on the State Board of Education.”

Statement on Health Education Standards

    The State Board of Education hereby postpones the development of Health Education Standards.
    The State Board of Education received substantial input on the draft Health Education Standards and recognizes that now is not the time to continue the process.
    Further, the Covid-19 pandemic has placed varied demands on school districts, parents and families, and communities.
    The intent of the State Board of Education is to determine the most appropriate time to address the topic of Health Education Standards after the pandemic has concluded, as determined by appropriate national, state and local health officials.
    The decision to continue the process of developing Health Education Standards must be introduced by a State Board member and supported by a majority vote of the State Board of Education.
—To be voted on at Sept. 3, 2021 meeting