HomeMy WebLinkAboutPremier Doug Ford says schools will revert to old sex-ed curriculum amid parent consultations - Globe & Mail - 07/17/2018 - Globe & Mail - 07/17/20187/18/2018 Premier Doug Ford says schools will revert to old sex -ed curriculum amid parent consultations - The Globe and Mail
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Premier Doug Ford says schools will revert to old sex-
ed curriculum amid parent consultations
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Premier Doug Ford says Ontario students will be taught the province's 20 -year-old
sex -education curriculum in the coming school year while his government consults
tens of thousands of parents on developing a new program.
Mr. Ford faced a barrage of questions about the sex -ed curriculum during Question
Period on Tuesday. The previous day, Education Minister Lisa Thompson sent
mixed signals on whether children would still learn about topics included in the
province's newer curriculum, which was implemented by the former Liberal
government in 2015.
Mr. Ford confirmed the province would revert to the old teaching plan, which was
implemented in 1998 and last taught in 2014. He vowed to consult parents in all 124
ridings before developing a new curriculum.
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7/18/2018 Premier Doug Ford says schools will revert to old sex-ed curriculum amid parent consultations - The Globe and Mail
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In scrapping the 2015 sex-ed curriculum — which includes topics such as consent,
cybersafety and gender identity -- Mr. Ford's Progressive Conservatives argue that
parents were not consulted widely enough before the new program was introduced.
Mr. Ford said "there was close to zero consultation."
The Ontario Premier said just 1,638 people were consulted on the curriculum after
the plan had already been developed, a figure he called "disgusting." Mr. Ford
appears to have drawn the statistic from a 2015 Toronto Sun article about a Freedom
of Information request that found that just 1,638 out of about 4,000 parents
contacted to provide feedback had taken the time to complete the online survey.
As part of its consultations on the elementary health and physical -education
curriculum, which includes sex -ed, the former government sought feedback from
4,000 parents — chosen by principals from representatives on the school councils of
every elementary school — in the fall of 2014.
The Liberal government also conducted earlier consultations and focus groups with
students, teachers, faculties of education, universities and colleges, in addition to
other stakeholders. More than 70 health-related organizations submitted reports
and more than 2,400 people provided feedback on the draft curriculum, according
to a 2014 news release.
Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, said
the outreach was unprecedented. "The consultation process for that document was
probably the largest, most extensive consultation process for any piece of
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7/18/2018 Premier Doug Ford says schools will revert to old sex -ed curriculum amid parent consultations - The Globe and Mail
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In developing a replacement for the 2015 curriculum, Mr. Ford said his government
would undertake the largest consultation in Ontario's history, but later qualified his
remarks to say it would be the largest education consultation. He has not provided
details, other than to say representatives would "sit down" with parents in all the
province's 124 ridings in addition to stakeholders, starting in the fall.
Charles McVety, a prominent evangelical leader who has spoken with Mr. Ford
about the sex -ed curriculum, said he is hoping for public town hall discussions with
parents.
Ms. Thompson did not take any questions on sex -ed during Question Period and
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7/18/2018 Premier Doug Ford says schools will revert to old sex -ed curriculum amid parent consultations - The Globe and Mail
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Asked about Ms. Thompson's remarks, Simon Jefferies, a spokesman for Mr. Ford's
office, did not comment.
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7/18/2018
Premier Doug Ford says schools will revert to old sex -ed curriculum amid parent consultations - The Globe and Mail
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7/18/2018 Premier Doug Ford says schools will revert to old sex -ed curriculum amid parent consultations - The Globe and Mail
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