LINCOLN- On Friday, members of the Nebraska State Board of Education voted to hire a consultant to examine the state’s process for writing academic content standards.

The Board’s standards-writing process has gone quite smoothly and has introduced a multitude of standards for core subjects over the years, including math, english, and science. Last year, this process became a point of contention for the Board after an optional sex education standard was proposed.

After receiving an unprecedented amount of public opposition, the Board pulled the plug on any health-education related standards. However, since then, the Board has voted 8-0 to allow Education Commissioner Matt Blomstedt to create a contract with the American Institutes for Research, a Virginia non-profit which will, under the $50,000 contract, examine the Nebraska standards-writing process and deliver a report by May 1, 2023 with recommendations.

The initial draft of the contentious sex education standard called for the teaching of gender identity and stereotypes to children as young as six. Supporters of the standard believe it will decrease bullying, prevent suicide, and make schools more welcoming.

Opponents of the proposed standards state that they don’t reflect the values of most Nebraska parents, and that they would rob children of their innocence and sexualize them in the process.

A few Board members believe that the failure of the proposed sex education standards stem from a problem in the writing process itself; hence why they hired an external consultant.

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