Simcoe County Public School Board Trusting Teachers’ Judgement on Sex Ed

School Board Chair Says Consent, Gender, and Online Safety Will Still Be Taught Despite PC Government Announcement

The Simcoe County District School Board has heard the province, but is giving teachers some leeway in sex ed class.

While the school board expects its teachers to follow the approved Ontario Curriculum, it says it respects its educators’ discretion and judgement. “we’re going to respect our teachers to make those decisions at their discretion in terms of teaching those topics. We believe it’s important that each student needs to learn those things for the real world, because we’re in a new world now.” says School Board Chair Peter Beacock.

Beacock says, while the Ontario Government has recently announced its intention to abolish the Liberal-created 2015 curriculum, school boards have yet to recieve direction from the Ministry of Education, “unless the government says “you shall not” then that’s our intention to leave it up to teachers, until we hear clearer direction from the ministry.”

Beacock says there is an option for parents not “every parent has the right to opt out when some of these things are being taught. They still have that option, they’re not forced to do it if they don’t want to.”

The School Board says that regardless of the curriculum, it has responsibilities and obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Education Act, and board policies. “At this point in time, we believe it is the right thing to do, and it is the right thing for our students.”