Roaring Fork School Board Defends 3Rs Sexual Abuse Prevention Curriculum

Anna Cole didn’t mince words when she stood before the Roaring Fork School Board on Wednesday. She was there to defend a curriculum that has become, in the words of some parents, a "hot-button issue" three years after its adoption. But to Cole, the 3Rs curriculum — Rights, Respect, Responsibility — wasn’t about politics. It was about keeping kids safe from sexual abuse.

“This curriculum is really focused on safety,” Cole told the board. “We see comprehensive sexual health education as a primary prevention strategy to keep our students safe.”

The tension in the room wasn’t just theoretical. It was the result of months of packed board meetings, where a vocal group of concerned parents challenged the district’s decision to roll out what they viewed as intense, politically motivated materials. Now, the district is showing its work. The numbers, at least according to the administration, suggest the rollout has been smoother than the rhetoric would imply.

The question is whether the quiet majority of parents agrees with the loud minority.

The data points to a system that is largely functioning as intended. According to a board memo presented during the meeting, all schools have successfully integrated the “Required Lessons” into their schedules. Half of the schools are also implementing “Recommended Lessons.” The delivery model is specific, too: school nurses and counselors are leading the charge, supported by health teachers and, in some cases, local doctors.

Opt-out rates tell the story of engagement. The memo notes that parent opt-out rates are low across the district, typically ranging from less than 1% to approximately 5% per grade level. A few schools, specifically Crystal River Elementary and Sopris Elementary, reported slightly higher concentrations of opt-outs, but even those remain within a manageable range for a district of this size.

“We have a responsibility under the Safe Schools Act to implement curricula that keep kids safe,” Cole said. She argued that the district has a legal and ethical duty as mandated reporters to use prevention and trauma-informed response to help survivors heal.

The curriculum itself isn’t a wild invention. It’s the “3Rs, Rights, Respect, Responsibility” model, an evidence-based program used by districts across Colorado, including Denver, Aurora, Steamboat Springs, and St. Vrain. The district didn’t just adopt it wholesale; they selected specific lessons highlighted for their safety focus. This selection process is backed by the 2026 Colorado Office of School Safety Child Sexual Abuse and Assault Prevention Resource Guide, an 83-page document that refers to the 3Rs as “effective.”

Assistant Superintendent Stacey Park joined Cole in presenting the update, focusing on communication and feedback loops. The goal was to show that the district wasn’t just dumping materials on students and walking away. They were listening. They were adjusting. And they were sticking to the core mandate: prevention.

But the political friction remains. Some parents still claim the curriculum was pushed through under “political motivations,” arguing that the intensity of the materials, covering topics like consent and sexual health in detail; wasn’t what was promised or what parents expected. The district’s counter-argument is that the evidence supports the approach, and the low opt-out rates suggest that once parents saw the specific lessons, they didn’t pull their kids out in droves.

As the district moves into the 2025-26 school year with this updated understanding of implementation, the focus shifts from adoption to execution. Will the low opt-out rates hold? Will the nurses and counselors continue to deliver the lessons effectively? Or will the next wave of parent concern force another review?

“We have a responsibility,” Cole said, “to use prevention and trauma-informed response to help survivors heal and make sure students have access to tools and resources.”

It’s a simple statement. But in a community where every school board meeting feels like a referendum on the future of local education, it’s a heavy one to carry.