By Natasha Burford
Over the last several months there has been heated debate over Toronto District School Board’s revised health curriculum, which will now include teaching sex education in public schools.
Elected government officials such as, MPP Soo Wong, have held town hall meetings and consultations with concerned parents and community members to discuss the need for the new sex education curriculum being introduced and its relevance.
Nevertheless, the introduction of this topic has been met with much criticism from some parents; who are outraged with the very idea of sexual “concepts” being taught to their children as early as grade one.
Parents against the new sex education curriculum claim that it is not the place of the school to be teaching young children about sexual orientation, and the like.
However the province claims the current curriculum is outdated and is required to keep children safe and informed. The province argues that the current curriculum does not take into account the dangers children face because of technology, and children’s exposure to social media and the internet.
Some of the topics the new curriculum would cover include “sexting”, sexually transmitted infections, and consent, among other important sexual topics. Grade ones will be introduced to the body parts, using the proper names of each part.
As you may recall this debate was also presented in the spring of 2010, but after many complaints from parents, the school board decided to withdraw the sex education component of the health curriculum.
In fact, this is the first time the physical education curriculum has been updated since 1992.
What is all the fuss about you may ask? Some parents question weather or not the information provided to students will be age appropriate.
There are several websites such as, People for Education, that highlight what students will be learning at each grade.
However, if parents are still uncomfortable, they have the right to remove their child from class when the sex education curriculum eventually rolls out and is taught in their child’s class.
In fact during the school year some parent begun keeping their children home in protest.
As the parents throw up their fists in defiance at the provincial government’s decision, we should stop and ask ourselves: what are the students saying? What do they need? After all, it is their needs that we are all fighting about right? Has anyone asked the students how they feel? More importantly, is anyone listening?
Whatever they may feel they need, it does not appear that the province is backing down on its decision. The new curriculum is set to start this fall.
How do you and your
children feel about the proposed Sex Ed curriculum? E-mail us your thoughts