Othello School District sets sex ed curriculum timeline

OTHELLO — The Othello School District set a timeline for implementation of the comprehensive sexual health education curriculum, as mandated by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

The timeline was presented to board members by Superintendent Christ Hurst during a regular, online school board meeting on Monday, Nov. 23. The curriculum will be implemented in the 2022-23 school year.

According to the timeline, the district will advertise for stakeholders in February 2021. In April, stakeholders will be gathered and the current curriculum will be reviewed. The following month, a review of new curriculum options will begin.

In September of 2021, a curriculum will be chosen and presented to the community for review. The school board will approve the curriculum in November. Teachers will be trained on the new curriculum in the spring of 2022.

“We wanted to provide a timeline for the board and for the public,” Hurst said during the meeting.

The timeline was made in response to a request from the school board.