06-03-2015, 10:57 AM
Minneapolis Teacher Takes Class on Sex Shop Field Trip
This story is being covered by a few news outlets this morning. It doesn't appear that the teacher is suspended or has faced any disciplinary action.
![[Image: 294E47BA00000578-3107434-image-a-79_1433280085560.jpg]](http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/06/02/22/294E47BA00000578-3107434-image-a-79_1433280085560.jpg)
Gaia Democratic School director and sex education teacher ^ Starri Hedges took about a dozen students to the Smitten Kitten last week. Hedges says that she wanted to provide a safe environment for students to learn about human sexual behavior. Besides offering adult books, videos, toys and other products, the store also has educational workshops, which the students attended.
The small K-12 school has a motto that promises academic freedom, youth empowerment and democratic education. Parents say it has about 25 students. Tax records show the school, housed in a Unitarian church, has an annual budget of about $100,000.
"What I saw happening on our trip, I thought it was beautiful because kids could talk to these sex educators without any shame, without any fear," Hedges said. Some of her students bought condoms, she said.
Parent Lynn Floyd's 11- and 13-year-old daughters were on the field trip. Floyd says the trip was "a major breach of trust" and has withdrawn his children from the school. Floyd said he is most troubled that parents were never notified before the trip. "I just struggled to think that I wasn't involved in that," he said.
Hedges said that she "unfortunately didn't communicate well enough with parents ahead of time" about the trip. Pornographic items were off limits to the children, Hedges said, but sex toys and other products were visible.
Hedges said she probably would not take another class to the store.
"It was certainly the first time we have taken that kind of field trip and it will probably be our last, which I feel bad (about) because the kids had so much fun," Hedges said.
Ref: http://heavy.com/news/2015/06/starri-hed...ield-trip/
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The school is focused on "alternative" education, so the parents know that they've enrolled their kids in a program with very liberal practices and a focus on freedom of spirit. Still, 11 and 13 years old is pretty young to be traipsing around the Smitten Kitten, in my opinion.
What do you think? Was this an inappropriate move by Hedges, or an acceptable means by which to promote sex education to pre-teens and teens? Would you be pissed if your kids were taken on such a field trip?
This story is being covered by a few news outlets this morning. It doesn't appear that the teacher is suspended or has faced any disciplinary action.
Gaia Democratic School director and sex education teacher ^ Starri Hedges took about a dozen students to the Smitten Kitten last week. Hedges says that she wanted to provide a safe environment for students to learn about human sexual behavior. Besides offering adult books, videos, toys and other products, the store also has educational workshops, which the students attended.
The small K-12 school has a motto that promises academic freedom, youth empowerment and democratic education. Parents say it has about 25 students. Tax records show the school, housed in a Unitarian church, has an annual budget of about $100,000.
"What I saw happening on our trip, I thought it was beautiful because kids could talk to these sex educators without any shame, without any fear," Hedges said. Some of her students bought condoms, she said.
Parent Lynn Floyd's 11- and 13-year-old daughters were on the field trip. Floyd says the trip was "a major breach of trust" and has withdrawn his children from the school. Floyd said he is most troubled that parents were never notified before the trip. "I just struggled to think that I wasn't involved in that," he said.
Hedges said that she "unfortunately didn't communicate well enough with parents ahead of time" about the trip. Pornographic items were off limits to the children, Hedges said, but sex toys and other products were visible.
Hedges said she probably would not take another class to the store.
"It was certainly the first time we have taken that kind of field trip and it will probably be our last, which I feel bad (about) because the kids had so much fun," Hedges said.
Ref: http://heavy.com/news/2015/06/starri-hed...ield-trip/
--------------------------------
The school is focused on "alternative" education, so the parents know that they've enrolled their kids in a program with very liberal practices and a focus on freedom of spirit. Still, 11 and 13 years old is pretty young to be traipsing around the Smitten Kitten, in my opinion.
What do you think? Was this an inappropriate move by Hedges, or an acceptable means by which to promote sex education to pre-teens and teens? Would you be pissed if your kids were taken on such a field trip?