Teaching sex-ed will be guided by human rights, public board says
Letter from director of education says sex-ed must be current and reflect student identities
The Waterloo Region District School Board says it will be guided by the Ontario Human Rights Code when it comes to teaching sexual education this September.
In early July, Education Minister Lisa Thompson said students would be learning an older version of Ontario's sex-ed curriculum, rather than the updated version brought in by the former Liberal government in 2015.
Since then, Thompson has indicated parts of the newer sexual education curriculum would be kept, but the Progressive Conservatives won't release any details until they have conducted public consultations.
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In a statement signed by John Bryant, director of education, the board says "it is critical that the curriculum provided in the classroom reflects our current times and the identities of our students, families and community."
Toward that end, the board says it will continue "to ensure that each and every student feels reflected in our schools and classrooms."
Concerns, inquiries
The statement explains this means delivering the sexual education curriculum as "approved and set out by the Ministry," but could also involve giving teachers the space and flexibility to create "safe and accepting environments where all students can learn and achieve."
"We continue to hear a variety of concerns in our community and have received a number of inquiries as to the status of the changes [to the sexual education curriculum]," the statement reads.
The board is encouraging parents, guardians and students who are concerned about revisions to the curriculum, or who would like to be involved in shaping the new curriculum, to contact their local member of the provincial parliament.