Parents react to Alberta’s move toward sex education, mandatory pronoun notification

The Alberta government’s plan to require parents to consent to their children’s sex education in schools is upsetting some parents and satisfying others.

On Thursday, the United Conservative Party government presented bill No. 27, amending the Education Act.

If the legislation is passed, parents will have to agree to participate in classes focused primarily on human sexuality, gender identity or sexual orientation, and the education ministry will vet any resources and outside speakers related to those topics.

Parents can already opt out under current law, which requires one notification. The proposed rules would require school officials to provide parents with at least 30 days’ notice and provide sufficient information to make an informed decision and provide an opportunity to enroll in all or part of the lessons. However, communicating sexual references would not require parental notification.

Premier Danielle Smith said parents should be fully informed about what is happening in classrooms so they can talk about it with their children.

“This is what we heard from parents, that this is what they want, and this is what we will deliver,” she said Thursday.

Some parents agree with the Prime Minister, saying they want to be better informed about what their children are learning in this area.

“I will be more aware and involved in their education,” said Geraldine Balao, an Edmonton parent who said she liked the bill.

“I would like to see what they actually teach in sex education,” said Leila Salih, another Edmonton mother who has three school-age children.

Parents opposed to the change told CBC News they believe it could result in fewer students learning basic life lessons, including how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections and prevent pregnancy.

“It’s an extra step for something that I think should be available to all of our children because it’s important information for them,” said Erica Shield, whose two daughters attend elementary school in Calgary.

Carrie Vos of Edmonton also disagrees with the change.

“The option to opt out already exists, so I think you already have a choice,” she said.

The government is also proposing to prioritize in-person legal education and force teachers, principals and other school staff to notify parents if their children under 18 use new names or pronouns. If a student is under 16 years of age, school staff will need to obtain parental consent to use the new name and pronouns.

School officials would have to ensure that students receive help if they ask for it or if the pronoun notification process is expected to result in emotional or psychological harm.

Opposition from associations

Associations representing teachers and members of parents’ councils claim that the changes announced by the government are not popular among their members.

Members of the Alberta Teachers’ Association passed a resolution at their annual representative meeting in May stating that “notification and clearance regarding human sexuality” was not necessary.

ATA President Jason Schilling said parental consent and the ministry’s review of all sex education resources would burden already overburdened teachers and create a chilling effect in classrooms.

The president of the Alberta School Boards Association also said his members do not support Bill 27.

“This really came through loud and clear for us at our AGM,” said Ken Glazebrook.

Edmonton Public Schools trustees plan to discuss a motion next week calling on school board associations to support the education minister to maintain the opt-out system and respect school boards’ autonomy over sexual orientation and gender identity policies.

Trustee Trisha Estabrooks, former board chairwoman, said she has received a large number of emails and phone calls expressing concerns about the registration system and problems with pronoun notifications.

“This is one of the most regressive laws in this country,” she said on Friday.

Parents are not involved: sex educator

Pam Krause, president and CEO of the Center for Sexuality, said children want their parents to be involved in sex education in their lives, but parents often feel unequipped and avoid such conversations.

“I’m all for parent involvement, but in our experience it’s not the case,” she said.

Krause, whose organization runs workshops in schools, said forgotten forms could mean students miss out on knowledge about healthy relationships, consent and sexual health.

The minister defends the bill

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides defended the requirement for parental consent in an interview with CBC Edmonton AM on Friday morning.

“The main reason for this change is to provide greater clarity, transparency and awareness of the topics discussed in relation to human sexuality,” he said.

Smith said Thursday that parental consent is “no more complicated than getting parental consent for a field trip.”