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APTOS — Educators at Aptos High School hoped to bring students together and make the campus a safer place when they brought a seminar to campus earlier this year.

But critics say educators crossed the line when they didn’t inform parents about the sensitive nature of some of the seminar topics, including sexual activity, suicide and drug use.

More than 300 students took part in the daylong Breaking Down the Walls seminar in January. About 50 students also participated in a session that trained them to lead small groups at the seminar. Participation was voluntary.

The seminar included talks on respect and a variety of team-building exercises. One exercise in particular has raised concerns among some parents.

During the 30-minute Crossing the Line, students were asked to reveal — by stepping over a line in the gym — increasingly intimate information about themselves. A question about whether a student is a good kisser starts the list provided by the school district. Later questions ask, among other things, whether a student has ever used an illegal drug, is currently sexually active, has an immediate family member addicted to drugs or alcohol and if the student has ever considered or attempted suicide.

Parent Susan McLaughlin said some of the questions were inappropriate to ask in a such a large group setting.

"They’re nobody’s business but yours and your confessor’s," she said. "They’re things you might tell your best friend. Most parents, if they knew the questions being asked, they would be horrified."

But some parents may have been unaware of the program at the time, and still may not understand it, she said.

That’s because school officials neglected to follow district policy that requires having materials available for parental preview two weeks in advance and permission slips signed by parents before students participate when controversial topics are discussed. Materials were not immediately available after the event either.

Christine Amato Quinn, Pajaro Valley Unified School District assistant superintendent, said that was an oversight caused by a shuffle in school staff. The seminar was booked a year in advance, and the date coincided with a transition between activity directors.

"It won’t happen again," she said, adding that parent concerns about the questions also would be addressed before the seminar is offered next year.

But Quinn and others, including student participants, believe the seminar was a positive experience.

"People couldn’t believe how open people were," senior Laurel Scott said at a meeting Tuesday night. "They found they had things in common and it expanded respect."

That’s important because problems occur when students feel isolated, Quinn said, citing the shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado as proof.

Ruth Barker, a parent and member of the school site council, said her son participated when the seminar was first offered at the school last year. While she agrees parents should have been informed this year as they were last, Barker supports the program.

Her son, a freshman at the time, told her it was a "life-changing experience," that he had gained an insight into and appreciation for classmates he had not understood.

The edgy nature of the seminar did raise "emotional feelings" and prompted a long discussion between mother and son, Barker said.

"Sometimes it’s incredibly powerful for people to be on the edge," she said. "It helps them grow and learn."

Contact Donna Jones at djones@santa-cruz.com.

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