Teachers Saving Children^® Inc. of Ohio

Currently in Ohio Revised Code [3313.60], the areas of Health education instruction required are nutrition; harmful effect and legal restrictions of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco; venereal disease; and personal safety and assault prevention (with the last two listed exempt upon parent or guardian written request.)

This Model Health Curriculum, which extends instruction far beyond what is currently required by law, would not only become the course of study for the health classes in the State of Ohio, but the next step would most likely be a mandated health proficiency for high school graduation. Consider the following quote from the Ohio Department of Education/Ohio Department of Health's "cooperative agreement" with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention submitted 9/10/97 for project period 12/1/97 through 11/30/98:

"Ohio presently does not require a proficiency test [in health]. Local districts, however, will be required to conduct and report the results of standardized, district-wide health and physical education assessment after the State Board of Education adopts 'Ohio's Model Competency-Based Health and Physical Education Program.' To assist local school districts with this standardized, district-wide assessment, OED, which has been an active participant in CCSSO's Health SCASS project, will make available to local districts the Health CD-ROMs with the four types of assessment items..."

After consultation with the Board of Trustee members, TSC Inc. of Ohio has included its support of the following letter dated December 2, 1998 and written by the Ohio Pro-Family Alliance (PO Box 60, Bethel OH 45106) to the Members of the General Assembly with a copy also being sent to Governor Voinovich, Bob Taft, and State School Board Members.

Citizens who have served as eyewitnesses of the development of Ohio Department of Education's (ODE's) Proposed Model of Health, the Center for Disease Control's (CDC'c) Programs-That-Work training, and the Ohio Department of Health's (ODH's) School-Based Clinics initiative, have enough documented evidence to cause us grave concern. Key documents, statements made behind closed doors, and procedural tactics are critical for you to understand. We believe it is imperative that we share our concerns, a portion of the evidence, and our recommendations. Please read the attached document that we have prepared in response to Dr. John Goff's [State Superintendent of Public Instruction] October 29, 1998 letter to you. The document will address the:

Respectfully,
[Signatures and names of Ohio pro-family organizations]

Additional documentation will be attached to the letter, however, limited space does not allow the entire documentation to be included in this article (Anyone wanting to have copies of the entire documentation can contact TSC). The conclusion of the documented materials does ask the following:

Concerned families of Ohio have more than enough evidence to cause great concern! We want more local control, not less. We find extremely offensive the PTW curricula with ODE's aggressive and manipulative techniques to invade every Ohio community. We demand that you:
1. Stop all Model of Health and CDC/PTW activities AND
2. Initiate a legislative investigation (using pro-family legislators) to investigate the five issues as stated in the first paragraph...

TAKE ACTION: Since April 1996, TSC has kept its membership informed with periodic updates regarding the Ohio Model Health Curriculum. Now is the crucial time for everyone - absolutely everyone to get involved in stopping this horrendous curriculum that could be placed into our schools within a very short period of time. The information regarding where in the process and the final actions of the General Assembly, the Ohio Department of Education, and the State Board of Education changes almost daily. By the time you receive this newsletter the process could be at a different level, so consider the following recommended actions: