Summerland board opposes proposed health standards

Summerland Board of Education approved a letter asking the state school board of education to “proceed with caution” on the second round of proposed health standards during the board’s July 12 meeting, in Ewing.

A motion passed unanimously after minimal discussion.

Board member Nate Schwager, who helped create the letter, said, “The hardest thing is they already rejected the first set of standards. You just don’t know what to expect with the second.”

Board of education president Ed Nordby said he felt the initial standards “weren’t in the best interest of kids.”

According to the letter, board members feel the initial set of standards were “too extensive and took parental responsibilities away.”

Elementary principal Cathy Cooper said administrators received an email from Nebraska Department of Education Commissioner Matt Blomstedt noting a second draft of standards would be available for release by August.

According to Cooper, Blomstedt’s email states, “The second draft will also make clear that managing sensitive health-related topics be thoughtfully conducted with parental input at a local level as I know is already a regular process.”

When asked by the Advocate-Messenger if the board opposes all eight content strands, which includes foundations of personal health, nutrition and physical activity, substance abuse prevention, disease prevention, injury prevention and safety, social, emotion and mental health, consumer and environmental health and human growth and development, Superintendent Kyle Finke said he has not had a chance to discuss standards with board members since taking over as superintendent July 1.

“Some of the things in there, as far as development goes, I think most of the rural schools in the state of Nebraska would reject,” Finke said.

Summerland’s letter notes, “Once the proposed standards remove any content that promotes ideological positions on human sexuality, our district will consider adopting these new standards.”