SARASOTA, Fla. — The Sarasota School District is reviewing its guest speak policy after getting complaints about a video shown in a high school class.
Last week a guest speaker with the domestic violence group SPARCC showed a video produced by Planned Parenthood titled “How Do You Know if Someone Wants to have Sex with You.” The video talks about consent issues between partners and shows both gay and straight couples kissing. School board member Eric Robinson said students and parents have complained about the content.
"If parents were notified that is was going to show then they probably would have gotten their kids out, but the delivery was entirely unnecessary for the message,” said Robinson.
The guest speaker showed the video to a group of mostly senior students at Pine View School.
District leaders said the school did not follow the district’s guest speaker policy. They said the video should have been reviewed by administrators before the presentation.
SPARCC leadership issued a statement after hearing about the incident.
“We sincerely apologize for the incident last Wednesday at Pine View. The staff member did not follow established protocol regarding the programming presented, and the organization has acted to ensure that this does not happen again. SPARCC has had a positive relationship with Sarasota County Schools that has spanned more than 15 years and we take the trust placed in our organization very seriously. Preventing domestic/dating violence and sexual assault is central to our mission and SPARCC aims to be a trusted resource for our community.”
SPARCC speakers are suspended from speaking in the school district while the district conducts an investigation.
