Health care workers speak out on sex-ed
Nearly 1,800 professionals call on government to keep 2015 curriculum
Nearly1,800 health care professionals are adding their voices to those urging the provincial government to keep the updated sex-ed curriculum.
A letter of concern and a petition were delivered to Queen’s Park on Tuesday, saying the old curriculum — which was used starting in 1998 — is unsafe for kids. It was signed by doctors, nurses, midwives and social workers, among others in the health field.
However, Education Minister Lisa Thompson told reporters she expects teachers to revert to the previous curriculum, which was taught until 2014 but is two decades out of date and does not include a number of current issues such as cyberbullying and talk of same-sex families or consent.
“We invite everyone to participate in our consultation that we’ll be kicking off later this fall, and so while I appreciate them coming forward and exercising their voices (Tuesday), I really want to engage them, again, in the proper consultation that we promised we would do,” Thompson said, adding “it’s about respecting parents.”
Deputy Premier Christine Elliott, who is also the province’s health minister, said “We want to make sure that we get it right, that we make sure that all of our students are protected.”
Some 27 public school boards have now also issued statements on the province’s decision to revert back to the old lessons, with some saying they will teach equity and inclusion regardless. One board in northern Ontario has said that without proper resources — it no longer has the old curriculum — as well as funding to train teachers, it won’t use the outdated curriculum.