I think kids need to learn about AIDS as early as possible-and about exactly how it is transmitted. What the Mayor says here sounds perfectly reasonable to me.
BY MICHAEL SAUL
NYDAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU
Amid heated criticism, Mayor Bloomberg yesterday defended the Education Department's decision to begin teaching children as young as 5 about AIDS and the virus that causes it.
"We're making sure that it's age-appropriate," Bloomberg said of the city's new HIV/AIDS curriculum. "For the kids in first, second, third grades, you teach 'em about germs and to wash your hands.
"And as you move up, you try to tailor the education to the maturity of the students - to not do that would be reprehensible and irresponsible."
According to the new curriculum, kids as young as 5 will learn that HIV is a "germ" and "not easy to get," and that it could lead to AIDS, from which it's hard to "get well."
Teachers won't mention that HIV is transmitted through sexual contact until students reach the fourth grade.
The new curriculum has sparked outrage from some parents and conservative leaders, who believe kindergartners are too young to be taught about HIV/AIDS.
"This is entirely too young, and the city of New York should really hang their heads in shame," said Michael Long, chairman of the state Conservative Party. "This is big government at its worst - this is government telling mothers and fathers that they know better than parents do."
Catholic League President Bill Donohue urged Catholic parents to pull their kids from the classes, and called the new curriculum a "coordinated effort on the part of city officials to sexually engineer our children."
But Bloomberg said the new curriculum will go on. "There's nothing more important than making sure that our students not only get a good education, but live to use it," he said.