The Wauwatosa School District has been working on redeveloping the Human Growth and Development (HGD) curriculum. The board officially votes on the curriculum on August 22nd, and a survey was sent out to community members recently, which you can find HERE.  This survey links to the new HGD content for all grade levels lessons so you can fully view the curriculum proposed. The survey closes on August 17th at 5pm. After reviewing all the grade levels of the new curriculum, I am really excited about how much the  proposal touches on issues of consent and gender identity while also feeling accessible to students. I decided to write a letter to the Wauwatosa School board outlining my support and encouraging them to vote YES on August 22nd so that they are able see a student perspective in regards to the curriculum. You can read this letter below.

Dear members of the WSD Board,

My name is Evelyn Skyberg Greer and I am a student at Wauwatosa West High School. I am writing to you to express my support for the newly developed HGD curriculum, and to outline our district’s dire need for this new curriculum as well as my own personal need for it.

I have reviewed all of the grade levels for the new curriculum and I am so excited about the changes that have been made in the lesson plans. I think students will feel represented by this new curriculum, and be interested in it since it is reflective of our current society and world.

As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, and as someone with many friends in the district who identify as LGBTQIA+ and who struggle with depression and anxiety, I know that we are not represented in the current curriculum and I have seen the effects of not being represented. Many students’ identities are not supported at home and are not supported at school either. This is because we do not have any lessons in place that encourage non-LGBTQIA+ identifying students to have empathy and show kindness towards these students. Bullying and use of derogatory slurs and bias are increasingly common in school atmospheres, and I hold ignorance accountable. Through this new curriculum, not only will students who identify as LGBTQIA+ feel included and educated by HGD lessons, but people who do not identify as LGBTQIA+ will be more educated and empathetic when it comes to gender identity, expression, and inclusion.

I attended the board meeting on August 8th, and felt frustrated with many of the comments that were made, especially since It seemed that most of those who were dominating the conversation were older men who were completely dismissive of students, our perspectives, and our experiences. These community members seemed to have little understanding of what goes on in a classroom, and held no empathy in regards to the needs of our modern and diverse student body. This curriculum is about the students and equipping them with the knowledge to handle the world we live in. It shouldn’t be about religious ideologies rooted in bias, inequality, paranoia, anger, and fear.

As a teenager, I can say that students exposure to sexual and mature content is vast and starts at a young age. Without factual direction and resources, we are not and will not be protected or supported. We will not be knowledgeable when we are thrown into situations that are unsafe. We will not understand basic concepts of consent, sexual and relationship safety, and exploitation.The ignorance that many students have when it comes to these topics is startling and scary, which is further shown through the statistical data found in the YRBS report.

The new proposed curriculum is successful in every way that the old curriculum is not. It teaches children about consent and empathy right away, and continues these lessons all the way through their education up until they graduate. It is inclusive and contemporary. It fosters kindness and mutual understanding, as well as basic safety. In fact, it will likely save and better student’s lives.

I urge you to pass this curriculum for the students. We need it.

Thank you!

Evelyn

If you are a student and would like to send a letter to the Wauwatosa School Board regarding the new Human Growth and Development curriculum, below is a list of board and superintendent contact information:

Leigh Anne Fraley: [email protected],

Michael Phillips: [email protected],

Michael E. Meier: [email protected],

Dr. Eric Jessup-Anger: [email protected],

Sharon Muehlfeld: [email protected],

Dr. Jenny Hoag: [email protected],

Jessica Willis: [email protected]