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High school students protest against provincial plans for sex-ed curriculum

October 1, 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Pickford

Approximately 200 Orangeville high school students took education into their own hands last week as they staged a mass walkout in protest of the new sexual education curriculum proposed by Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government.

As promised during his election campaign, Mr. Ford announced back in July that he would once again change the way students are introduced to sex-ed in elementary schools, scrapping the modernized curriculum originally brought in by the Liberal government in 2015. The newer model taught students about the dangers of sexting and online bullying, while also addressing issues such as same-sex relationships and gender identity.

In late August, Education Minister Lisa Thompson released details of a new curriculum designed to replace the modernized syllabus. While some have condemned the model, stating it closely resembles an older curriculum last updated in 1998, Ms. Thompson spoke of her excitement for the move at Queen’s Park last week, stating the government would be launching a consultation process to give parents the chance to express their opinion.

“I am very, very much looking forward to the rolling out of this consultation – of this process across the province. It’s going to be comprehensive. It’s something that parents have never seen before,” she said.

The move has seen substantial backlash since. The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) criticised the move, launching a legal challenge against the rollback, while thousands of students across the province have taken to social media, operating under the hashtag ‘We the students do not consent’ in an attempt to have their voices heard.

Here in Orangeville, more than 100 students from Orangeville District Secondary School and Westside Secondary School gathered at local MPP Sylvia Jones’ office on Broadway to protest the curriculum change. Echoes of “we have the right to learn” could be heard throughout the downtown core as members of the local student body took a stand.

“I find it very important to make our voices heard on this issue. Students really do care about what’s happening regarding what we get to learn,” said Claire Curtis, a Grade 10 student at ODSS. “It’s really important for everyone to learn as much as they can. We don’t want to be reverting back in our knowledge, we want to move forward and recognize we live in a different world today.”

While there have been cries from some corners that sexual education is something that should be taught at home, Grade 9 student Beth Collins says this is an issue that deserves to be discussed in school.

“You can’t just sit back and expect this to be taught at home, because I know a lot of parents who refuse to talk about this stuff, particularly when it comes to issues like sexual orientation and gender identity,” Ms. Collins said. “My mom, however well intentioned, wouldn’t be able to tell me how to be safe when it’s two guys or two girls (engaging in sexual activity). The only way and place to learn about it is at school. If we’re reverting back to an older model, how are we going to learn?”

When asked what she would say to Premier Doug Ford if she had the opportunity to meet face-to-face, Beth replied: “I would probably say he shouldn’t be doing this. We need to move forward, not backwards. Going back is going to create an up rise in people who want to learn about this and feel it should be taught.”

Fellow Grade 9 student Josh Soper commended the spirit of those in attendance at Friday’s afternoon walkout.

“It’s absolutely amazing that this many people got involved. Without proper sexual education, our next generation could go downhill very fast,” Mr. Soper said.

For Cameron Larocque, his participation in the process was all about ensuring the next generation have the same opportunity to learn as he did.

“The biggest reason I’m here is my step-siblings. They are six, five and three years old… Just thinking about what they’ll be learning what was taught back in 1998 – the same year Saving Private Ryan was released – is sickening to me,” Mr. Larocque said. “We have made so much progress over the past 20 years and Doug Ford just wants to erase that from the curriculum. It’s wrong.”

While the general consensus on the north end of Broadway on Friday afternoon was that this change to the sex-ed curriculum was wrong, one parent believes it’s roughly three years overdue – basically, she doesn’t believe the curriculum should have been changed in the first place.

Local resident Michelle Buval feels parents have been ignored for long enough through this process.

“I have never been for this curriculum. Now we have teenagers protesting and wanting to decide what young folks are taught when there are parents out there… who haven’t taken kindly to this curriculum. We feel our voices aren’t being heard,” Ms. Buval said.

She would sooner see sexual education eliminated from school curriculums, stating such touchy subjects as that and religion are better taught in a home environment. She believes the curriculum introduced by the Liberals in 2015 is “breeding awkwardness” between students.

“I don’t need to know your sexual orientation to get along with you in life, just like you don’t need to know my religion to be kind to me. If you can’t teach about religion, we shouldn’t be teaching sexuality. It’s a personal choice that should be kept at home,” Ms. Buval said. “We need to find a place where we can have empathy for people, respect where they’re coming from, but, at the end of the day, we don’t have to agree with it.”

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