There is mixed reaction to the new Ontario government’s decision to revert back to the old sex-education curriculum.
Premier Doug Ford promised to repeal and replace the controversial sex-ed curriculum when he ran for the Progressive Conservative leadership and repeated the pledge during the spring election.
This week, Education Minister Lisa Thompson confirmed the news, saying the curriculum taught to children in the coming school year will be from the 1990’s era.
The decision is being supported by Gregory Moore of Windsor, a father of four.
“There are a lot of parents like me that want to take on that responsibility and we don't want the provincial government, a bureaucrat from one thousand miles away, to tell us how to raise our kids.”
Moore tells CTV News issues around sex are best taught at home.
“Kids are not interested in that. They want to climb trees, and do dumb stuff and ride dirt bikes, dig holes in the yard, throw rocks at cars and stuff like that,” adds Moore. “They're losing their childhood and that's not right.”
The updated curriculum sparked backlash mostly among religious and conservative groups.
The Ford government is instead replacing the updated sex-ed with the curriculum from 1998. It doesn’t include discussion on things like same-sex relationships for kids in grade 3 or sexting and sexually transmitted infections in grade 7.
The decision is not sitting well with groups like the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation.
President Harvey Bishof tells AM800 News the move will leave kids poorly prepared to enter the world of high school.
"Students would be coming to secondary schools without the foundational knowledge that they should have within this curriculum and just not be prepared for what they should be learning in high school."
Bischof adds the world has changed dramatically since the previous curriculum was written.
Thompson says the ministry will be moving quickly to consult parents on how to update the curriculum and details on that process will be coming soon.
