I love stories like this XLV

Now, curriculum in the government-funded compulsory schools has to be planned and run through committees and materials have to be developed and reviewed and approved...all those things. So imagine the kind of New York Superintendent of Schools that led the charge to have an HIV/AIDS awareness curriculum taught to kindergarten children:

Beginning Monday, kindergartners in public schools will be told that HIV is a "germ" and "not easy to get."

The kids also will learn that HIV could lead to AIDS, which is hard to "get well" from, according to the city's new HIV/AIDS curriculum.

The changes are required by state law - but some parents and teachers fear kindergartners are too young to talk about the deadly disease.

The parents and teachers "fear" this? What's to fear? This had to have been in the works for months before now. Mind you this is a mandatory course. Here's more:

Teachers won't mention that HIV is transmitted through sexual contact until students reach the fourth grade. At that time, teachers will provide little specifics, telling kids, "When you are older you will learn more."

I can understand teaching kids about, say, George Washington in kindergarten and then telling them that they'll "learn more" when they're older. But why AIDS? Is this part of a larger "Don't Get AIDS From Strangers" initiative? This beats my pair of jacks.