This editorial represents the unanimous opinion of all 14 Outlook editors.
Aragon hosted a series of mandatory assemblies on Nov. 27 regarding important topics such as sexual misconduct, mental health and drug use. The Outlook believes these mandatory assemblies, while well-intentioned and valuable, have a limited impact when not accompanied by further action.
We applaud the district for openly addressing vaping, mental health and sexual misconduct. The presentations have created the opportunity for discussion among families and the community on delicate issues that are often swept under the rug. In the light of the #MeToo movement, vaping epidemic and current attitude towards mental illness, we appreciate the administration’s effort to acknowledge and begin addressing these topics.
However, assemblies such as the “Culture of Consent” presentation only prove the importance of addressing these issues on more than one occasion; the attitude and cultural shift that needs to occur surrounding affirmative consent requires far more than a single assembly.
“Countries … that teach about consent from an early age and continue to emphasize the definition and application of consent have lower rates of sexual harassment, teen pregnancy and rape”
In the SMUHSD, health class is only one semester, and the sex education curriculum lasts a mere three weeks. On the other hand, the Netherlands begins teaching sex education in preschool and continues to emphasize the definition and applications of consent, resulting in lower rates of sexual harassment, teen pregnancy and rape. In 2015, the Netherlands suffered 7.1 rape cases per 100,000 people while the U.S. suffered 38.6 cases per 100,000 people—more than five times higher, according to Knoema databases. Without emphasizing the importance of consent, the message can be lost. Aragon cannot single-handedly change the culture of consent in an American school system that does not prioritize sexual education, but we encourage Aragon to continue educating students on consent and healthy relationships and dedicate more time in the health curriculum to sex education.
As students gain new experiences during their time at Aragon, their perspectives towards subjects such as consent and substance use change and develop. After freshman year, students rarely hear about the content emphasized in health class and forget many of the subjects taught. We believe students would benefit more from being regularly exposed to the concept of consent through town-hall style discussions on these important topics, mediated by the teacher, which would occur twice every semester for 20 to 30 minutes during a block period in designated English or History classrooms, as students take these classes all four years.
While mandatory assemblies are impersonal and easy to tune out, classroom discussions are interactive. Students gain different perspectives and engage with their peers, encouraging them to actively learn, discuss and participate. We acknowledge students and teachers alike may be frustrated with the loss of class time. However, we strongly believe if health and safety issues like consent, mental health and vaping are important enough to our community, they should not be packed in single wellness days, especially since over 20 percent of students did not come to school.
Our district has made admirable progress in addressing these issues, especially in a society where consent and sexual harassment are often oversimplified or glazed over. However, to fully address and attempt to solve these crucial issues, our district and administration must commit to making change through modifications of health curriculum, initiating discussions in a classroom setting and ensuring these important messages are repeated and emphasized.
