District Addresses Concerns over Statistics in Presentation

The Warwick School District has released new information about an assembly on abstinence scheduled for November 19 for students and parents in the district.

“We’re pleased to provide the last piece of information that people were asking for regarding Pam Stenzel’s presentations,” said April Hershey, Warwick School District Superintendent, in an interview today.

Some parents had reportedly requested information regarding statistics that would form the basis of the presentation by Stenzel, after viewing video clips of her lectures from previous years on YouTube.

“That information is now accessible on our website,” said Hershey.

A statement posted on the Warwick School District website reads: “In response to several requests from the community, Warwick School District is pleased to provide links for additional information and resources on which Ms. Stenzel’s presentations about ‘Sex and Abstinence’ are based.”

The district statement continues:

“Ms. Stenzel recommends taking a look at the following links from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website for statistics used in her talks: CDC Link , CDC Fact Sheet.”

The district came under fire for the assembly in the wake of controversy that arose following the publication of an article by Lancaster Newspapers, now known as LNP, on LancasterOnline on October 15 which the district claimed was “inaccurate” and used “snippets of video taken out of context” in a published statement issued on October 21. The LNP article featured two YouTube videos of Stenzel. LNP Editor Barb Roda failed to respond to calls and emails from LititzDailyNews.com for comment regarding the October 15 article. An editor who answered the phone at LNP on refused to comment about the article.

In this most recent statement, District officials reassured parents and affirmed the importance of the conversation that the assembly has facilitated between students and parents on the topic.

“Warwick School District places student well-being and safety as a top priority. We are pleased with the communications we know are occurring amongst our families and students on the difficult topic of sex and sexuality. Bringing this topic to the forefront has been a catalyst for many in-depth family conversations that may not have taken place otherwise.  Discussions on this topic have provided all of us with a learning opportunity and a forum to teach our students about respect for individuals and their opinions.”

The full district statement is available at http://www.warwicksd.org/website/news.php?id=1949

The Warwick School District has received inquiries from students and parents outside of the district who wish to attend the assembly. The district has indicated that the evening assembly is open to non-residents, and invites parents and students of the middle school and high school age range to attend. There is no charge to attend the assembly, which Hershey said is being paid for by a local business.

Lynn Rebuck covers education for LititzDailyNews.com. She welcomes your comments and questions at [email protected].