Moses Lake School Board passes updates to sex ed, ELA materials
The Moses Lake School Board passed updates to both sexual education and English language arts curricula Thursday night. An updated fifth-grade HIV/AIDS curriculum will be implemented this year; the rest of the items will be added the following school year.
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MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School Board approved updates to its secondary English language arts curriculum and adopted revisions to its comprehensive sexual health education materials Thursday during the regularly scheduled board meeting. District leaders said the updates will modernize instruction and bring materials in line with state requirements.
The board also passed a resolution supporting school-based celebrations of the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary.
ELA
The board unanimously approved the adoption of new English language arts materials for grades 6–12, selecting a program from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt after a multi‑year review and field‑testing process.
“We currently use a set of ELA materials in our 6-12 that is going out of print,” Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Yvonne Walker told the board.
She said the adoption process began in 2024 but was delayed by budget constraints and other district priorities.
Walker said the final choice allows Moses Lake students to use a consistent curriculum from kindergarten through 12th grade — a key factor in the committee’s recommendation.
“Anytime that kids can get into a classroom and feel confident with something or kind of know how a curriculum is set up, how it spirals, how to access it, it’s just one less thing to be overwhelming,” Walker said. “That’s great. Let’s look at what students’ needs are.”
Sexual health education
The board also approved updates to the district’s comprehensive sexual health education materials after a review found gaps in medically accurate content, particularly in the fifth-grade HIV/AIDS lesson.
Board Members Paul Hill, Michael Nordsten and Amy Breitenstein voted yes on the change. Board Member Carla Urias voted no on the matter. Board President Kirryn Jensen was excused from the meeting.
The changes include replacing the district’s former HIV/AIDS curriculum — known as KNOW — after the state determined it was no longer medically accurate.
Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Bonnie Walker told the board that while school nurses had been verbally correcting outdated information, the district needed to formally align its materials with state standards.
“The KNOW materials said HIV had no treatment. Over time, more information has come out,” Walker said. “Our nurses knew to update that, but we needed to update the curriculum so we were aligned to OSPI.”
The district will now use lessons from Family Life and Sexual Health, or FLASH, a curriculum developed by Public Health – Seattle & King County and approved by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Walker said FLASH includes information that is medically accurate. Some of the topics include healthy relationships, respectful communication and encouraging students to talk with trusted adults at home.
All of the changes at the elementary schools come to the fifth-grade level. The new lessons will cover updated HIV/AIDS information, consent, definitions of sexual abuse, bystander skills and inclusivity.
Walker said the district intends to teach the updated HIV/AIDS lesson this spring if approved, at the request of school nurses. All other changes will begin next school year.
Middle school materials will now include puberty lessons that were missing from the previous curriculum, a scientific overview of pregnancy and expanded instruction on sexual abuse and reporting and accessing help.
Walker said the additions fill gaps in the district’s existing Draw the Line/Respect the Line curriculum.
Families will continue to have the right to review materials and opt their children out of any sexual health instruction.
Walker said the district is strengthening communication by requiring schools to send notices through at least two platforms between 30 and 45 days before lessons begin. Further opt-out information is also available on the district’s website.
America’s 250th anniversary
The board approved Resolution 2026‑07, encouraging schools to participate in celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026.
“America!’” Breitenstein said after the resolution unanimously passed.