Two student advocates told the Blue Valley Board of Education that district curriculum should include explicit, age-appropriate consent education beginning in elementary school and continuing through middle- and high-school health instruction.
At the Oct. 13 meeting, Lily Webb said she is vice president of Jayhawks Against [redacted] Violence and asked the board to add consent instruction to existing lessons on safety and healthy relationships. Webb suggested age-appropriate lessons on safe and unsafe touch in elementary school, consent topics within middle-school human-development units, and dedicated class time in the high-school human-sexuality segment.
Catherine Goodwin, who introduced herself as founder and president of a student-led Jayhawks group, described personal and peer experiences she said illustrated gaps in understanding consent. Goodwin cited state and national data presented during her remarks and told trustees that early and repeated consent instruction is an effective primary-prevention strategy.
Both speakers said curriculum changes are feasible within existing courses and offered to partner with the district on materials and training. The presenters provided the board with handouts and asked the district to consider pilot lessons or a phased implementation aligned to grade-level standards.
Board members thanked the students for their testimony and accepted the handouts. No board action was taken at the meeting; staff will note the request and consider it as part of curriculum discussions.