Public school trustees ponder sex-education classes, again
Board reviewing revisions Conservative government made to curriculum
WATERLOO REGION — Public schools are preparing to teach a revised sex-education curriculum — after education trustees talk about it again.
The Waterloo Region District School Board is seeking more public input Wednesday, as trustees weigh changes made to the elementary curriculum by the Progressive Conservative government.
The curriculum reverts temporarily to what Ontario schools taught until 2014. Compared to what’s been taught since, there is silence on sexual consent and much less about gender identity. On gender and sexual orientation, students will be taught that everyone is to be welcomed and treated fairly regardless of gender identity, citing protections of Ontario’s human rights code.
The curriculum introduces online safety in Grade 4 and expands into risks of electronic sexual messages (but not referred to as sexting) in Grade 7.
The public school board says it has to implement the change. It says teachers can discuss consent and expand on gender identity in other ways.
“We’re encouraging teaching staff to look for those opportunities, to provide some more information where appropriate to do so, for those issues that may not be covered in the revised curriculum, while still delivering the interim curriculum,” board spokesperson Alana Russell said.
Local Catholic schools will deliver the curriculum through a lens that includes a family life program, said John Shewchuk, spokesperson for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board.
Public school board chair Scott McMillan said trustees will hear from staff before any debate.
The curriculum changes were unknown when eight public delegations urged trustees to resist any sex-ed rollback earlier in August. Some who spoke then plan to speak again, including the teachers’ union, which argues the government is wrong to revise sex education.
“We’re continuing to fall behind what other provinces are teaching their children, and we’re just not sure why we have to be so far behind in the Dark Ages,” said Jeff Pelich of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario.
The union is calling on trustees to back teachers who choose to teach the 2015 curriculum instead. It vows to defend any teacher facing discipline.
Premier Doug Ford’s government ordered the curriculum rolled back. The government intends to rewrite sex-ed teachings after consulting with families.
The government has expanded consultations to include math scores, cannabis, standardized testing and cellphone bans in schools. It has also set up a website for parents to report concerns about classroom teachings, with complaints to be shared with the Ontario College of Teachers.
It bothers the teachers’ union that this sidesteps the usual process, which is to raise concerns with a teacher and then with a principal. “It creates a chaos that’s not needed,” Pelich said.
Ford has said sex-ed teachings implemented by the Liberals were driven by ideology and implemented without broad consultation. His government’s revisions do not affect high school students.
Here are key differences in the version of the curriculum being taught:
• Removes references to genitalia, masturbation, wet dreams, oral sex, anal and vaginal intercourse.
• Is silent on consent, whereas recent teachings discuss “the concept of consent and how consent is communicated; and, in general, the need to communicate clearly with each other when making decisions about sexual activity in the relationship.”
• Erases references to two-spirited, transsexual and intersex genders. Teachers are asked to address gender identity with “sensitivity and care. It is important that both teachers and learners have a comfort level with these topics so that information can be discussed openly, honestly, and in an atmosphere of mutual respect.”
• Previous teachings are more detailed on gender identity and gender expression, asking students by Grade 8 to “identify factors that can help individuals of all identities and orientations develop a positive self-concept.”
It creates a chaos that’s not needed. JEFF PELICH Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario