Parent raises concerns over child-safety program slides amid controversy

At the Oct. 2 special-called meeting, parent Jennifer Berry said she had reviewed the district's child-safety curriculum (referred to in testimony as the MBF/MDF child safety program) and described specific slides that, she said, instruct children to report certain images and label others as "red flags." Berry told trustees that the timing of opt-out letters and the controversy over a board member's comments made reviewing the program content particularly important.

"In slide 21 and 28 of the k through 1 program, it calls the sorts of acts mister Warner deemed as okay as red flags and urged they contact safe adults," Berry said. She also referenced slide 15 of a fourth-grade lesson that she said labeled some imagery as dangerous and told children to "stay away, and tell a safe adult." Berry urged the board to consider who acts as a "safe adult" if an advisor or official is the person being questioned.

Berry's remarks framed part of the public-comment period around curriculum content and child protection training. Commenters connected program guidance to the ethical expectations for adults who serve children in the district.