Sex survey gets OK from Board of Education

FALLS VILLAGE — The Region One Board of Education held two meetings Monday, May 5, in Room 133 at Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS).The first was the annual district meeting, in which the board formally brings the proposed spending plan for the following fiscal year to a vote, which is then adjourned to a referendum the following day. It took about 7 minutes.The vote was held Tuesday, May 6; results were not available in time for the print edition of The Lakeville Journal but can be found online at www.tricornernews.com.In the regular meeting, the board (by consensus) gave HVRHS Interim Principal Ian Strever the go-ahead for sociology students to conduct a survey on sexual attitudes at the high school. Strever brought the matter to the board’s attention in April; the students who created the survey were on hand at that meeting to answer questions.Strever had asked board members to get feedback from their towns. On Monday he asked that the board be polled on reactions.Ned Gow of North Canaan said, “Other than a couple of raised eyebrows, I didn’t get any negative feedback.”Phil Hart of Cornwall and Jonathan Moore of Kent said their town school boards were in favor of conducting the survey.Jennifer Weigel of Salisbury said board members and town residents had not raised objections, and Region One Chairman Andrea Downs of Falls Village said the only caveat she heard was from Sharon, where the board thought it important the survey remain internal.Strever thanked the board. “I guess I’m an old fuddy-duddy,” he said, but reiterated he wished to err on the side of caution.The board approved a field trip to Quebec City on May 20-23; a charge for the Athletic Advisory Committee; and welcomed new member Rick Beatty of Sharon, who was elected at a town meeting May 2 to replace Marilyn Yerks, who resigned from the position.