# FILE NAME: 00001500.soc
# TITLE: Should parents be allowed to opt out of sex education classes for their children? [00872f8fd9aff6c49a0c1aff34e9aaf6]
# DESCRIPTION: 
# DATA TYPE: soc
# MODIFICATION TYPE: original
# RELATES TO: 
# RELATED FILES: 
# PUBLICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# MODIFICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# NUMBER ALTERNATIVES: 4
# NUMBER VOTERS: 5
# NUMBER UNIQUE ORDERS: 3
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 1: Statement 1 - Sex education classes should be mandatory, unless the parents can provide a suitable alternative means of educating their child on the topic.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 2: Statement 2 - In general, the group was in favour of sex education classes being mandatory. The group felt that it was important for children to be educated on the topic, and that it was the responsibility of the school to ensure that children were educated on the topic. The group felt that the school would be able to provide a more comprehensive education on the topic than parents would be able to. The group felt that if children were not educated on the topic, it could lead to children being put in dangerous situations, or lead to teenage pregnancies. The group did acknowledge that in some cases it may be appropriate for parents to opt out of the classes. This may be in cases where the parents are teaching the children themselves, or in cases where the parents do not agree with the content of the sex education classes. The group felt that in these cases, the parents should be allowed to opt out, but that they should be required to provide the school with an alternative means of educating their child on the topic.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 3: Statement 3 - In general, the group was in favour of sex education classes being mandatory. The group felt that it was important for children to be educated on the topic, and that it was the responsibility of the school to ensure that children were educated on the topic. The group felt that the school would be able to provide a more comprehensive education on the topic than parents would be able to. The group felt that if children were not educated on the topic, it could lead to children being put in dangerous situations, or lead to teenage pregnancies. The group did acknowledge that in some cases it may be appropriate for parents to opt out of the classes. This may be in cases where the parents are teaching the children themselves, or in cases where the parents do not agree with the content of the sex education classes. The group felt that in these cases, the parents should be allowed to opt out, but that they should be required to provide the school with an alternative means of educating their child on the topic.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 4: Statement 4 - We generally agree with the draft consensus statement, but believe that parents should be allowed to opt out if they choose to educate the child on the topic themselves. We agree with the principle that parents should be allowed to educate the child themselves, but think that it could be exploited in some cases. Commentary: The most interesting point in this exercise for me was how a policy that at first seemed clear-cut ended up getting re-written as the group's view was challenged. There was an initial consensus, but it was repeatedly re-evaluated and re-written as the different views presented by the participants became apparent. In the end, the group remained in consensus, but their view had shifted significantly from where it had started. This was a good example of why writing down the group's consensus can help a group to refine the views of the group. In this case, there were a number of different critiques (in the form of text commentary) for the group to look at and reflect upon. I felt that we worked out a balanced consensus view after several re-writes and it felt as though the group was satisfied with the final view in the end.
2: 2,3,4,1
2: 1,2,3,4
1: 3,2,1,4