School official testifies before state panel

SOUTHBRIDGE EVENING NEWS

Thursday, May 11, 2006

     Editor’s Note:  Stephen J. Comtois II testified Tuesday, Jan. 31 before the Joint Committee of Education during their hearings held at the Statehouse on House Bill 1641.
     This bill, filed by Representative Alice K. Wolf, D-Cambridge, seeks to mandate health education for Massachusetts schools.

     “I am very much opposed to this legislation.  The issue is not whether students should be taught the basics of proper hygiene and nutrition.  As is, the health frameworks deal with family issues such as sexuality and family structures.  These are issues that parents should be able to determine what is appropriate for their children and when the information would be presented.”  stated Comtois.  He went on to say, “The government will tell the family unit what is appropriate in regards to sex education.  As a father of two young children and a member of the Brookfield Elementary School Committee, I strongly feel that the current frameworks provide a basis for Health teachers to reference for their curriculum development.”  Comtois supports curriculum that is developed in conjunction with principals, school administrators, and school committees that best understand the needs of their communities.  “As is, parents have the final say as to whether or not they want their children to participate in a class that may go against the moral and religious fabric of the family.  We must trust that our communities, our schools, our teachers, and most importantly, our families will be best able to determine what is appropriate for our children, and not enable secularism to dictate family values.”