This communication is to inform you of the Wauwatosa School District’s upcoming Human Growth and Development (herein referred to as HGD) Curriculum Revision proposal that will be presented to the School Board on August 8, 2022 for initial overview followed by vote for approval on August 22, 2022.  Within this communication you will find a very high level overview of the process; however, should you wish to review a more detailed report, please click here.
Per District Policy 2210 any proposed new curriculum needs to be available for two weeks for community review prior to Board approval. Community is defined as any District staff member, student, caregiver, or Wauwatosa resident without a student in the District.
Per Wisconsin State Statute 118.019 and Policy 2414, a committee of external stakeholders (to be referred to as the HGD Committee) defined by mentioned Statute consisted of “Parents, teachers, school administrators, pupils, health care professionals, members of the clergy, and other residents of the school district shall comprise the committee. No one category of member shall constitute more than one-fifth of the membership of the committee, except that parents may comprise more than one-fifth of the membership of the committee. No more than one quarter of the members of the committee may be made up of employees of the school district or their spouses or members of the school board or their spouses.”  This HGD Committee determined the desired perspective and outcomes for each grade level.  These outcomes are grounded in the National Sex Education Standards, State Statute 118.019, data reviewed by the committee, as well as personal and professional experiences and perspectives.  The purpose statement crafted by the HGD Committee drove their decision-making regarding the selection and omission of outcomes at each grade level. The purpose statement reads as follows:
Together with a community of educators and families, students in the WSD will be empowered to develop healthy relationships, to engage in respectful communication, and to practice responsible decision making that is grounded in the importance of self-worth and the dignity of others. Prepared instructors will provide grade level appropriate information on sexual health that is current, factual, consistent, and inclusive.
A team of internal stakeholders (educators within the Wauwatosa School District) used the outcomes selected by the HGD Committee to craft lessons for each grade level.
The lessons for the proposed curriculum can be found by grade level here.  It was very important to the HGD Committee, internal committee of Wauwatosa School District educators, and the Division of Academic Performance that community members are provided with as much detail about each lesson as legally possible (without violating material copyrights) to provide increased transparency into the content included in these lessons. Should you wish to review any of the copyrighted materials listed within the lessons they will be available for review on the following dates and times.
  • Friday, August 5; 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
  • Saturday, August 6; 9 – 11 am
  • Tuesday, August 9; 4:30 – 6 pm
  • Thursday, August 11; 4:30 – 6 pm
Should you wish to provide the School Board with feedback on the proposed curriculum, please do so here.  Please provide your feedback no later than 5:00 pm on Wednesday, August 17, 2022. Due to the anticipated volume of feedback, we seek to quantify the qualitative (narrative) feedback received to allow School Board Members to easily consume perspectives and feedback from stakeholders.
As such, please do not email Board members directly regarding Human Growth and Development curriculum; instead, use this form to provide feedback.
As you review, please note that parents/guardians/caregivers have the ability to opt their child out of any of the lessons. Before the lessons are taught, caregivers are notified about the upcoming lessons and are informed of their option to opt their student out if desired. Greater measures are being taken to better support students whose caregivers opt them out of the learning. For example, upon receipt of an opt-out request, a classroom teacher (or designee) will confirm with the student’s parent/guardian/caregiver that the teacher has received the opt-out and they will discuss alternatives for learning during that time which could include, but not be limited to: independent work time, music lessons (band/orchestra if possible), release time for religious instruction per Wisconsin State Statute 118.155.
Thank you for your interest in student learning within the Wauwatosa School District. Our students will undoubtedly benefit from your engagement and thoughtful feedback.
Sincerely,
Nicole Marble, PhD
Chief Academic Officer
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