Educators at Aptos High School crossed the line when they didn’t inform parents about the sensitive nature of topics presented during encounter sessions held at the school, according to "Crossing the Line crosses the line" by Santa Cruz Sentinel Reporter Donna Jones.
During an exercise called "Crossing the Line", students were asked to reveal — by stepping over a line in the gym — increasingly intimate information about themselves, including responding to questions about drug use, sexual activity, family use of drugs and alcohol, or thoughts of suicide, according to the Sentinel.
A parent interviewed by Jones, Susan McLaughlin, said: "Most parents, if they knew the questions being asked, they would be horrified". However, since the school failed to inform parents about the controversial nature of the sessions, "parents may have been unaware of the program at the time, and still may not understand it," McLaughlin told the Sentinel.
The Sentinel explaned: "school officials neglected to follow district policy that requires having materials available for parental preview two weeks in advance and permission slips signed by parents before students participate when controversial topics are discussed. Materials were not immediately available after the event either," Jones reported.
Christine Amato Quinn, Pajaro Valley Unified School District assistant superintendent, told the Sentinel the failure to notify parents "was an oversight caused by a shuffle in school staff".
The Sentinel interviewed participants who supported the program, saying that the "edgy nature of the seminar did raise 'emotional feelings' and was a "life changing experience". Ruth Barker, a parent and member of the school site council that approved the program for implementation at AHS told the Sentinel she was happy about her child's participation in the program, saying: "Sometimes it’s incredibly powerful for people to be on the edge; it helps them grow and learn."
See the complete story at the Santa Cruz Sentinel >
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