The Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario (ACBO) and groups representing Catholic school board educators say they are confident they can teach the new curriculum, released Feb. 23, through a Catholic lens.
The new curriculum will, among other topics, introduce potential online dangers, as well as same-sex marriage, in Grades 1 through 3, 鈥渟exting鈥� to students beginning in Grade 4, progressing to learning about risky sexual behaviours in later years. 聽
鈥淲hile Catholic schools have a responsibility to follow the curriculum set out by the Ministry of Education, they have always sought to do so in a way that conveys, respects and models Catholic Christian principles to our students,鈥� said Toronto Cardinal Thomas Collins, president of ACBO, in a Feb. 23 statement. 鈥淭hey will continue this tradition.
鈥淎 group of Catholic educators will produce resources that support Catholic teachers so that the new curriculum is implemented in a way that is consistent with our Catholic teachings and appropriate within the context of a Catholic classroom.鈥�
The Institute for Catholic Education (ICE), which includes representatives of the bishops, the Ontario Catholic School Trustees鈥� Association, Catholic Principals鈥� Council of Ontario, the Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education and the Ontario English Catholic Teachers鈥� Association (OECTA), is that group.
鈥淲e鈥檝e just begun the process of reviewing the revised curriculum,鈥� said ICE executive director Michael Pautler.
He noted much of the material in the revised curriculum 鈥渋s already included in the Fully Alive program already used in the Catholic school system.鈥� An analysis is underway to 鈥渋dentify the gaps and develop appropriate materials to support teachers in implementing the expectations of the revised curriculum鈥� in a way 鈥渃onsistent with Church teaching and our faith tradition.鈥�
Parents As First Educators (PAFE), the Catholic Civil Rights League, Campaign Life Coalition and Patrick Brown and Monte McNaughton, two Progressive Conservatives vying for the party leadership, promised to fight the curriculum. 聽
On the morning following its unveiling, about 500 people braved the elements to gather at Queen鱿鱼视频app Park in Toronto to protest the new curriculum, including Brown. Brown criticized Premier Kathleen Wynne for not listening to parents.
鈥淲ynne鱿鱼视频app approach to the issue of sex education has shown little attempt to consult parents and families,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ynne kept her curriculum secret until yesterday. Now that her curriculum is public, now that parents can see it, the government doesn鈥檛 even care what you think.鈥�
Kathy Horling, a parent of four children ranging from Grade 2 to 8, takes specific offence to the curriculum鱿鱼视频app attention to gender theory as well as non-traditional sexual practices.
鈥淚 should be one telling my children about this not the government,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hy start putting ideas in their heads when they are so little? They鈥檙e kids, they don鈥檛 need this.鈥�
McNaugthon agrees.
鈥淭he government should not be telling parents what鱿鱼视频app age appropriate for their children,鈥� said McNaughton in an interview Feb. 23. 鈥淭he real consultation process is going to begin today.鈥�
鈥淎fter vast numbers of Ontarians said that the 2010 sex-ed curriculum was unacceptable because it promoted sexually explicit information to children at ages when it will only harm and disturb them, it is outrageous that the 2015 update is almost a carbon copy,鈥� said PAFE president Teresa Pierre.
鈥淲hen will Premier Wynne start to pay attention to the tens of thousands of Ontarians who have rejected this program because it will sexualize children at inappropriately young ages? When will this government understand that parents won鈥檛 stand for this?鈥�
In 2010, then Premier Dalton McGuinty withdrew a controversial 鈥� and similar 鈥� curriculum after a huge parental backlash.
鈥淭here鱿鱼视频app a difference between 鈥榚ducating鈥� and 鈥榠ndoctrinating,鈥� 鈥� Campaign Life organizer Alissa Golob wrote on Facebook. 鈥淭his sex-ed curriculum would also instil in young, vulnerable minds the acceptance of non-traditional family values, which are not only the building blocks of our society, but foundational Catholic teachings.鈥�
James Ryan, OECTA president, doesn鈥檛 see why the new curriculum is controversial. He said the new program has important, positive revisions, and says it is an improvement for the 鈥渟ecular鈥� public schools in that 鈥渋t adds the whole concept of values鈥� and puts more 鈥渟tress on abstinence and talks more about relationships.鈥�
(With files from Evan Boudreau.)