A Unitarian Universalist church distanced itself from a controversial "sexual fantasy" school assignment that is part of a curriculum that they helped to develop.
Earlier in March, a health teacher at the Churchill High School of Eugene, Oregon was placed on leave after parents raised concerns about a sexual fantasy assignment.
The assignment prompted students to write a story about their sexual fantasies without including any form of penetration, oral sex, or intercourse that could result in a sexually transmitted disease. It also asked students to pick a classmate they would like to have sexual relations with. After parents raised concerns about the assignment, the Eugene 4J School District reportedly launched a 3rd party investigation, reviewing the curriculum called "Our Whole Lives" [OWL].
The Eugene 4J School District superintendent, who presides over the Churchill High School, told The Register-Guard that the assignment was taken from the OWL curriculum and given to students in grades 10 through 12.
According to OWL’s website, it is "grounded in a holistic view of sexuality" and equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information on human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture.
Furthermore, the website states that the OWL curriculum was developed by the Unitarian Universalist church and United Church of Christ and offers educational materials for grades 10-12th and young adults. They even offer sexuality education for grades kindergarten through first, the website states.
The two organizations developed OWL with experts in health, education, and sexuality to "help children, youth, and adults understand and affirm themselves and others."
In the wake of the controversy, the Unitarian Universalist church released a statement, distancing themselves from the assignment.
"A recent assignment in a 9th-grade health class at Churchill High School in Eugene, OR, which has been reported on in the news as based on the Our Whole Lives (OWL) curriculum, was an unapproved adaptation that was taken out of context from an out-of-print version of the curriculum."
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The Unitarian Universalist stated that their records indicated that the health teacher who distributed the assignment was not trained by certified OWL trainers. They added that the curriculum "is developmentally appropriate when implemented as designed, by trained OWL facilitators."
"OWL promotes self-worth, responsibility, consent, sexual health, justice and inclusivity. This is especially important in areas where the surrounding culture may not be supportive of people with LGBTQIA+ and other marginalized identities," they added.
