WNC human sexuality course's dual-credit status to be weighed

The human sexuality class at Western Nevada College that drew complaints from a student last semester should not have been open to high school students, according to Keith Rheault, superintendent of the Nevada Department of Education.

He will be asking the state school board at its meeting Friday to revoke the class's status as dual-credit, which means high school seniors can take the course for both high school and college credit as part of a collaboration between the college and area high schools.

WNC student Karen Royce filed a formal complaint with the college in October, saying Human Sexuality professor Tom Kubistant crossed boundaries in the class, including a directive to students to increase their masturbation habits and to draw their orgasms.

Royce's assertions, first reported by the Nevada Appeal, stirred controversy and prompted a group of WNC students to speak out in favor of Kubistant and the course. Kubistant has declined to comment.

The college determined Royce's complaint to be unfounded. It remains under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights.

In a document to board members, Rheault wrote:

"Although Psychology 130, Human Sexuality, may be totally appropriate as a college-level psychology course that is approved by (the Nevada System of Higher Education), based on the news reports on the explicit subject matter material and assignments in the course offered at WNC, it should not have been approved as a dual-credit course available to high school students. The recommendation is for State Board action to remove Psychology 130, Human Sexuality, from the available list of previously approved dual-credit courses for any charter school or school district within Nevada."

Rheault said he discovered that at least one charter school had requested that the class be included in the list of those offered as dual-credit.

Mark Ghan, WNC's vice president for human resources and general counsel, said he didn't know of any high school students who had taken the class.

However, three students under age 18 have taken the class in the 6 1/2 years it has been offered, he said - one in 2006, one in 2008 and one in 2011.

He said each of those students was "on the cusp of turning 18."

"As far as I know, no one from any charter school has contacted the college to inquire about the course," he said.

The board will vote during the Friday meeting, which will be held in Las Vegas and videoconferenced to the Carson City office.