“A lot of people in this country believe that things of this nature should be left to the parents to teach and not to the schools, and I have to go along; that’s the way I believe,” Barnett said of sex education.

Barnett said his reservations about getting too deep into sex education come from a few places. One, schools should focus on academics, and two, parents should have the right to be the ones to teach their children about sex.

“We have enough on our plate to teach reading, writing, arithmetic … let the parents decide how they’re going to educate their children when it comes to the birds and the bees,” Barnett said.

Barnett said he does think the school could play a role in coaching parents about how to discuss those issues with their children.

Troutman agreed in some ways, saying he obviously preferred parents and churches as the vehicles for sex education. But Troutman said something needed to be done to remedy the teen pregnancy rates, despite his reservations that the remedy takes place the classroom.

“If we have to choose between one or the other, it seems to me abstinence-plus is the only way to go,” Troutman said. “Personally I believe abstinence is the best way. But if that’s not going to work, we have to do what it takes.”

Additionally, Troutman said he would like students to learn about the social and financial consequences of both teenage motherhood and fatherhood, including child support laws.

Though Troutman admitted he lamented when he learned the state was forcing the board to tackle a values issue like teen sex through school policy, he said the district can play a role in decreasing early pregnancy and STD rates, especially if the law demands that they do.

Barnett said the issue of teen sex needs to be addressed, but it is the job of the community, including the PTA and individual parents and churches to tackle values like adolescent sex, as well as crime and other issues.

“What we need is a Billy Graham type of crusade in this town,” Barnett said.

“I’m not passing the buck, but the bottom line is we need to respect the rights of parents in raising their children.”

Regardless of the policy the board chooses on Thursday, NASD parents have the option to opt out of school-taught sex education. Both policies will require permission slips to allow their child’s participation in sex education classes, which will be taught separately to boys and girls.

NASD Director of Curriculum and Instruction Charlotte Franklin said the district posted parent surveys on the district’s website and notified parents of them through, ConnectEd, a telephone messaging system, to gain perspective about parents opinions of various topics relating to the district’s sex education policy. Approximately 170 parents or teachers responded to the survey, which she said was posted for more than a month.

Franklin said at the May 10 board meeting the administration recommended an abstinence-only policy in order to keep in line with the state’s standard policy.