Elmbrook was going to start broaching the topic of oral sex in sixth grade during the 2007-'08 school year, but last fall the School Board halted the new lessons after some parents objected.

The board asked a committee to review not only the oral sex controversy but Elmbrook's K-12 human growth and development curriculum and recommend any changes to the School Board.

State law requires school districts that offer human growth and development curricula to review it every three years.

Elmbrook's last review was in 2004, and that is when the committee recommended the earlier warnings about oral sex spreading sexually transmitted diseases. But teachers and staff didn't finalize the new middle school lessons and materials until last summer for use in the 2007-'08 school year.

Committee members Monday night agreed to recommend that as part of the eighth-grade instruction about the transmission and prevention of diseases that teachers provide simple definitions of sexual activity to be avoided.

Parent Lindalayne Holiday, a committee member, remained the lone voice Monday against mentioning oral sex in eighth grade.

She suggested that Elmbrook create a ninth-grade human growth curriculum and add it there. In high school, Elmbrook has placed all of its human growth and development instruction in one grade level - 10th grade.

"There are a lot of parents who I believe feel it doesn't belong anywhere in the middle school," she said.

But the rest of the committee agreed with those who said there was evidence of oral sex occurring by students in the later stages of middle school.

Teens need to be warned before high school, when the prevalence of oral sex increases, members said.

The committee also recommended that warnings about oral sex be introduced through a video that parents could review in advance to decide whether to opt their children out of that lesson.

That also would prevent teachers from offering different instruction, some said.

But the committee also agreed that teachers should be allowed to discuss the video and answer student questions about oral sex.

The committee also agreed to bolster Elmbrook's emphasis on abstinence by teaching eighth-graders that "abstinence is your only responsible choice" to avoid pregnancy and diseases.

Committee member Sheila Reynolds failed to persuade others to change it to the "most responsible choice."

Elmbrook does not have an abstinence-only curriculum; it teaches abstinence and provides health information for sexually active students.

Holiday pushed for instruction on how males are more visually stimulated sexually and that females should not wear tight or revealing clothing because it might lead to risky situations.

Others objected strongly to any insinuation that girls were responsible for sexual assaults through their clothing. And boys are not always the aggressors, some said.

Members also disagreed with suggestions by Holiday on tools teens could be given to avoid having sex, saying the examples intruded on family values and rules.

The committee began debating the 10th-grade curriculum and appeared headed for conflict on contraceptives and abortion.

Most said students should be taught that if they were raped emergency contraceptives are available.

The committee tentatively set its next meeting for March 12.