Another day, another program scrapped by the Ontario Progressive Party.
The new Ford government will be making significant changes to the current sex-ed curriculum taught to grades 1 to 12 in the upcoming school year.
This September, students will be taught an outdated sex-ed curriculum that dates back 20 years, rather than the modernized curriculum that was instated by the Liberals in 2015.
The modernized sex-ed program, which has been referred to as “controversial” and is opposed by social conservatives, covers topics like sexual orientation, same-sex relationships, sexting, and consent.
Following the announcement, the hashtag #SexEd began trending on Twitter, which led to many political figures voicing their concerns.
Opposition leader Andrea Horwath says we’re “going backwards,” while Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife said rolling the sex-ed curriculum back 20 years “endangers our youth.”
. @AndreaHorwath on province reverting to old sex-ed curriculum: “Going backwards in terms of keeping our kids safe and giving them the information they need to stay safe is not the right direction for the kids of this province.” #onted
— Caroline Alphonso (@calphonso) July 11, 2018
Rolling sexual health curriculum back 20 years endangers Ontario’s youth.
The Ford gov’t has effectively removed consent, online safety, and LGBTQ+ families from the curriculum, including healthy relationships.
2018 is not 1998. #onpolihttps://t.co/zKcQey5i3P
— Catherine Fife (@CFifeKW) July 11, 2018
This move follows the PC Party scrapping a $100-million school repair fund and cancelling a project that would update provincial curriculum documents with Indigenous content.