{"id":21327,"date":"2018-08-16T11:36:21","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T15:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=21327"},"modified":"2018-08-22T19:08:55","modified_gmt":"2018-08-22T23:08:55","slug":"school-board-teachers-union-push-back-on-sex-ed-reforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/school-board-teachers-union-push-back-on-sex-ed-reforms\/","title":{"rendered":"School Board, teachers union push back on sex-ed reforms"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brock Weir<\/strong><\/p>\n

Back to School season is upon us, a time when parents and students are busily stocking up on books and school supplies so they\u2019re ready to face the year ahead, but there is also some uncertainty on just what might lie before them as the new Provincial Government moves to roll back recent changes to the Ontario\u2019s Health & Sex Ed Curriculum.
\nBut, close to home, the York Region District School Board is pushing back on plans to re-instate Ontario\u2019s 1998 curriculum ahead of the beginning of classes next month.
\nCorrie McBain, Chair of the York Region District School Board (YRDSB), and Director of Education Louise Sirisko issued a joint statement last week calling on the Province to keep the 2015 changes to the Health and Physical Education curriculum in place and reverse their decision to remove findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission from lesson plans.
\n\u201cAlthough we are in the midst of summer, we are turning our minds to the beginning of school and what our students will be learning,\u201d they said. \u201cRecent Ministry of Education announcements affecting curriculum have created some uncertainty. We want to reinforce our board\u2019s commitment to remain steadfast in upholding the tenets of equity, inclusivity and the Ontario Human Rights Code. The announcement that the province\u2019s previous Health and Physical Education curriculum from 1998 will be reintroduced to all schools in September may be interpreted to mean that revisions reflective of today\u2019s world will no longer be taught. This may affect content on important topics such as consent, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Such changes require urgent clarification by the government given the significant impact it will have on our students.
\n\u201cWhile we await direction from the Ministry, we want to assure our communities of our deep commitment to ensuring safe, equitable and inclusive learning environments for all of our students. Our newly revised Multi-Year Strategic Plan places a priority on upholding our values and championing equity and inclusivity. This means our students will continue to learn important and relevant information, and that our staff will have the resources and knowledge to support this learning. Our classrooms reflect and respect the diversity of our students, including those who identify as a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.\u201d
\nThe cancellation of writing teams dedicated to \u201cfulfil the findings of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission might also be interpreted as a wavering commitment to equity,\u201d they claimed. But, \u201crenewed commitment\u201d to Indigenous partners is needed, along with fulfilling the commission\u2019s direction to \u201cdevelop and make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, treaties and Aboriginal peoples\u2019 historical and contemporary contributions to Canada\u201d a mandatory education requirement for students from Kindergarten through Grade 12.
\n\u201cOver the remaining weeks before school, we will be seeking clarity from the Minister in regards to curriculum expectations,\u201d they concluded. \u201cWe will be advocating that the critical learning expectations found within the revised Health and Physical Education curriculum effective 2015 remain in place. We will also be asking for a renewed commitment to the path of Truth and Reconciliation so that students are able to learn about the history of colonization and that we may collectively take the steps necessary towards healing and reinforcing strong and trusting relationships with Indigenous partners.
\n\u201cWe are committed to equity and inclusivity.\u201d
\nAccording to Ms. McBain, responding to questions from The Auroran, the YRDSB received confirmation from the public that they \u201cvalue equity and inclusivity\u201d and, since their joint statement was released, feedback has been positive.
\nThe lead-up to the 2015 reforms was also informed at the local level by feedback received from parents, trustees, and the Board\u2019s professional staff members, she added.
\n \u201cWe haven\u2019t received clarification or direction from the province regarding the Health and Physical Education curriculum. We remain committed to ensuring safe, equitable and inclusive learning environments for all our students. After much public consultation, our new Multi-Year Plan places a priority on upholding our values and championing equity and inclusivity. This means our students will continue to learn important and relevant information, and that our staff will have the resources and knowledge to support this learning. Importantly, our classrooms reflect and respect the diversity of our students, including those who identify as 2SLGBTQ.\u201d
\nAlso pushing back against the changes is the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO), which advised its members Monday to \u201cexercise their professional judgement when it comes to teaching all sections of the current curriculum.\u201d
\n\u201cThe government\u2019s decision to revert to the 1998 Health and Physical Education Curriculum while initiating further consultation is irresponsible, discriminatory and jeopardizes the safety of the students that we teach,\u201d said ETFO President Sam Hammond. \u201cWe need to prepare students for the world of 2018, not the world of 1998. The government\u2019s actions are in direct conflict with teachers\u2019 fundamental responsibilities and obligations towards their students including the duty to ensure their safety and their fundamental human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back to School season is upon us, a time when parents and students are busily stocking up on books and school supplies so they\u2019re ready to face the year ahead, but there is also some uncertainty on just what might lie before them…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-5xZ","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-20 16:45:44","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21327\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}