Monterey County parents call for changes to statewide sex ed curriculum

More than 10,000 parents statewide wide pulled their kids out of school, according to informed Parents of California, for a sit-out in protest of new California sexual education curriculum.

Some of those parents are in Monterey County. Friday, about a dozen parents held signs outside the Monterey County Office of Education to stand in solidarity with parents across California who feel some of the sexual education curriculum is age-inappropriate.

Outside the counties office of education about 15 parents gathered with their kids to demand a change.

“It’s gone from education to essentially pornographic education,” Salinas dad Gabriel Christie said.

Parents in Monterey County weren’t alone today in protesting, what they call, sex education that promotes pleasure.

This month’s new addition to the California healthy youth act or AB 329.

“We’re here in a peaceful way to communicate that we are concerned,” Pacific Grove mom Kelly Schenkoske said.

That concern is over the states health curriculum framework, which is a guidence document that districts may use when developing health education.

Parents say some of the books they’ve seen that fall under the framework is educating their elementary school children is inappropriate.

“They’re not at a stage in their life where they need to be taught that stuff,” Salinas mom Dominique Christie said.

“They are highly graphic and go in to topics that I probably can’t say on air,” Schenkoske said.

The Monterey County office of education says they welcome parents to express their concerns and ultimately it’s each school districts decision.