When the fall session begins in the Alberta legislature in a few weeks, the United Conservative Party government has been clear that one of the first pieces of legislation it will introduce will be the requirement that parents be notified and that they opt-in in “each instance” when a teacher addresses gender identity, sexual orientation or human sexuality.
Premier Danielle Smith made the pronouncement in a video message on social media earlier this month.
And as The Globe’s education reporter Caroline Alphonso reported this week, that is causing some consternation among academics as well as teachers that have the task of educating the province’s students on sexuality.
As Caroline says in her story, the current practice in Alberta and elsewhere in the country is parents and caregivers can opt out of sex education. The concern with doing the opposite is that the new legislation could “limit important lessons on health, consent and relationships reaching young people, leading to negative outcomes.”
Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides defended the move saying parents want to have a greater say in their children’s education, “especially in respect to sexual education.”
“The change from an opt-out to an opt-in process for sexual education will ensure that parents are aware of the materials and lessons that will be taught to their child during a sexual education class, so they have the flexibility to determine whether or not it is appropriate and fits the needs of their child,” he wrote in an e-mail.
Much of the debate in Alberta, and in provinces such as Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, has centred on the choice of pronouns used by students, which will also be part of the new legislation. But it’s the teaching of the broader sex-education curriculum that the Alberta Teachers’ Association fears could be at risk with the new opt-in rules.
“Our question to government is, ‘What is the problem that you’re trying to fix?’” ATA president Jason Schilling asks.
He says the curriculum has already been vetted by government and as Caroline points out in her story, research shows that comprehensive sexual-health education reduces sexually transmitted infections, teen pregnancies and dating violence. Limiting access could have negative implications for young people.
One area that could have real repercussions, as The Globe’s Marsha Lederman argued in her column this week, is that “kids whose families do not opt in will miss out on lessons that include how to navigate the all-important issue of consent.”
Vancouver-based sexual-health educator Saleema Noon spoke to Marsha to explain the broader importance of that all-important lesson.
“This is not about penises and vaginas, and it’s not about they/them pronouns,” Noon said. “It’s about safety and teaching our kids to think critically in the world that they live in, which is much different than the world we grew up in.”
Jessica Wood, research and project development lead at the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada, says studies show that young people want lessons on sexual health in schools.
“We don’t see consistent implementation across the country, and now we’re seeing policies that will create additional barriers to implementation,” she said.
And remember, Season 2 of the Globe podcast, In Her Defence, is available now. Reporter Jana G. Pruden investigates the death of Amber Tuccaro, a young woman who was killed more than a decade ago just outside Edmonton and whose final words, caught on tape, have haunted her family and investigators ever since.
Where to listen:
This is the weekly Alberta newsletter written by Alberta Bureau Chief Mark Iype. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters here.