Hamilton and Burlington students walking out to protest sex-ed changes

Hamilton and Burlington high schools are expected to join a student-led protest against the province’s decision to revert to an outdated sex-education curriculum.

École secondaire Georges - P.Vanier on 100 Macklin St. N. is the only Hamilton high school registered for the provincewide “We the Students Do Not Consent” walkout and rally from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.

Hamilton public and Catholic school students can’t walk out of classes to take part because both boards happen to be on a professional activity (PA) day.

Although Hamilton students could join a followup rally planned at Queen’s Park on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

“The main message I want to get out to the public is that young people have a voice and we know what we are talking about,” said organizer Indygo Arscott, who is a 16-year-old Toronto student. “We are leading change, and it’s happening right now.”

In Burlington, M.M. Robinson High School at 2425 Upper Middle Rd. is registered for the protest.

A social media account has been set up suggesting there will also be a walkout at 2 p.m. at Dr. Frank J. Hayden Secondary School at 3040 Tim Dobbie Dr.

In total, roughly 70 Ontario high schools have registered and hundreds of students have listed themselves as taking part on social media.

The event is being applauded by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), which has launched a legal challenge against reverting to the 1998 curriculum and an accompanying snitch line to report teachers defying the new rules.

“ETFO is heartened that so many students are exercising their democratic rights and standing up for a modern human development and sexual health curriculum,” Hamilton teacher and union president Sam Hammond said in a statement.

“In today’s world, they are navigating issues including homophobia, consent, cyberbullying, healthy relationships, gender identity, sexting and body image. They deserve a curriculum that addresses and explores these issues, is supported by solid research and teaching experience, and is proven to keep them safe.”

High school students are still being taught the same sex-ed curriculum as the interim changes only apply to elementary school, but Arscott says it’s important for students to stand up for each other.

“These are important topics,” she said. “When we take these subjects away from the students, we’re essentially getting set up for failure.”

As an Indigenous LGBT student, Arscott felt particularly attacked by the sex-ed changes as well as the cancellation of a curriculum rewrite that would have boosted Indigenous content.

“I feel like these changes are alienating,” she said. “The box I was in for so long that I was finally managing to come out of, now feels like I’m right back in there again. But to see all these young people who are willing to fight, I feel empowered and inspired.”

Arscott heads an advocacy organization called Decolonize Canadian Schools, which originally planned a walkout at her own Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts.

“I figured go big or go home, so I created a Facebook page hoping it would spread throughout Ontario, and sure enough it did,” she said. “To the students, I just want to let them know their voice matters. You have so much power and you can accomplish anything, even if it seems unrealistic or entirely out of reach.”

The sex-ed changes have left teachers walking a fine line between following the outdated curriculum and meeting the Ontario Human Rights Code.

“Our teachers will continue to create a safe and welcoming environment for all students and their families,” Hammond said in a statement.

The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board is looking at how it can help teachers meet the new expectations while still fulfilling obligations under a number of policies and legislation.

“It’s about having an inclusive, accepting and discriminationfree learning experience for kids,” said Bill Torrens, superintendent of student achievement. “At the core, I believe they’ll deliver these expectations in a way that is in line with our values as an organization.”