After a stressful week of Milestones, students are glad to relax over the weekend. But just because Milestones are over doesn’t mean KICs are. This week we have an Australian sex-ed platform raising questions, traffic concerns at the location of the new J.C Booth Middle School, the death of a firefighter, and a West Virginia senator endorsing a GOP senator for reelection.

April 19 –  New Australian sex-ed sparks controversy  

A new online program recommended by the Australian government has been described as “bizarre” and “concerning” by equality activists. It uses extended metaphors such as eating tacos and smearing milkshakes on actors’ faces. 

The online learning platform The Good Society website includes over 350 items of multimedia to teach respectful relationships in school. The program has been ridiculed by women’s rights and anti-rape activists for being harmful to the student body.

The Good Society avoids words such as sex, rape, assault, and other related terms. This minimizes the experience of rape trauma and the complexity of consent, which kids need to understand. The excessive use of metaphors dehumanizes the complexity of consent and rape trauma and is not approved by experts. 

April 21 – School board speaks about traffic concerns at new middle school

Last week, assistant superintendent Mike Sanders told the Fayette County Board of Education that traffic will not be an issue at the new J.C. Booth Middle School. Although the Peachtree City Council has expressed concerns about traffic, Sanders assures that the site has plenty of “stacking room” for parents’ vehicles.

According to Sanders, the current J.C. Booth Middle School has the capacity for 20-25 cars to be in line at one time, but the new school will allow for a line of 80-85 cars to wind through the parking lot and driveway. He does not see a scenario in which traffic would flow over onto Highway 54.

Construction at J.C. Booth Middle School is expected to be completed by December 2021. The school will have two access points, including Carriage Lane and Stagecoach Road. The school system is negotiating with the Georgia Department of Transportation about modifying the intersection of Carriage Lane and Highway 54.

April 22 – Georgia firefighter dies during first shift on the job

Georgia firefighter Efren Medina passed away early Sunday. He passed away during his first shift with the St. Marys Fire Department in the southeast Georgia.

Eager to start his new career, Medina was known for his longtime passion for firefighting. Medina was a 20-year-old Georgia firefighter who died in his sleep during his shift.  At 3:30 a.m. colleagues found Medina unresponsive after returning to the fire station. St. Mary’s fire Department chief Tom Lackner told the station a 20-year-old shouldn’t be passing away.

A medical examiner is determining the cause of death. As of Tuesday results are still pending. According to an online fundraiser in memory of Efren Medina, he was survived by his wife.

April 23 –  Democratic senator endorses GOP S\senator for reelection 

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin endorsed Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, as Murkowski is one of the few Republican moderators left in the senate. “They see the person that is basically bringing both sides together, trying to look for the best interest,” Manchin told Politico.

Murkowski has not officially announced her campaign but has accepted his endorsement. This has reinforced the bipartisan image that the senator has shown for years. If Murkowski does run as expected, she could benefit from a system where candidates run together in a nonpartisan party.

Manchin’s endorsement has been kept with his record as one of the few moderators in the Democratic party. Senator Manchin also supported Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins in 2020.