Sex-ed changes draw mixed opinions

BY ELYSE AMEND

elyse.amend@transcontinetnal.ca

Sex-education in the province’s public schools is changing, and while some believe the new approach will help make students more aware of the issues, others are concerned they will not be getting enough information.

Stéphanie Tremblay, spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, Leisure, and Sports (MELS), said the sex-ed changes are part of the province-wide curriculum reform, an ongoing process that started in 2000-2001 for elementary schools, and in 2005-2006 for high schools. Students used to receive 25 hours of sex education throughout their high school years, which is equal to about five hours per school year.

These 25 hours, however, are no more. With the reform, it will be left up to teachers to address the array of sex education topics across numerous courses throughout elementary and high school.

“In science and technology, it is anticipated that the different biological notions of sexuality will be covered, like the reproductive systems of men and women, pregnancy, contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, etc.,” Tremblay wrote in an e-mail to The Chronicle. “Questions related to personal and relationship aspects will be addressed in different ways in other classes in the program. Equality; relationships with family, friends, and romantic relationships; physical needs, understanding arousal; the need to feel accepted; loving and being loved; problems related to sexuality; taking a critical look at the media, etc. The ethics, culture, and religion class, which will apply the reforms in September, will, for example, have its students practice dialogue, starting in elementary school to the end of high school.”

According to Robert Mills, director general of the Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB), this new approach to sex education will help students understand sex and sexuality in an everyday context.

“I think the fact there is no such course called ‘sex-ed’ dealt in a little box is probably much to the benefit of the child and to the young adult. They’ll see it as a lifelong process,” he said, adding the changes will start gradually in the 2008-2009 school year. “Sex-ed is not just a single course. It’s part of the human being.”

Mills said the MELS’s new way of teaching sex education is “comprehensive,” and will be dealt with at an age- and course-appropriate level.

“They’re not going to stop in the middle of math class and say, for the next 10 minutes, we’re going to talk about sex-education,” Mills said, adding there are numerous ways of incorporating sex-ed in most classes. In history class, for example, one could look at how issues like women’s rights, abortion, and contraceptives have developed through time, or one could look at nudity in art and how that has changed in art class. “I think not restricting it to one area puts the whole concept into perspective.”

However, Dr. Laurie Betito, the president of the Sexual Health Network of Quebec and host of Passion on CJAD 800, is not convinced the reform will work.

“In principle it’s good, because that way everybody gets involved. But it’s practically that it doesn’t work,” she said, adding that without an actual sex-ed course, you cannot be sure all students are getting all the information they need. “The statistics aren’t very good. Only 25 per cent of people used condoms the last time they had sex. What does that tell you?”

Betito also fears that leaving sex-education up to teachers not trained in the field could mean that some may not be able to address certain questions from students, because they do not have the information or are uncomfortable doing so.

“My biggest beef with this is that it’s not comprehensive enough. It’s not across the board,” she said, adding kids should start getting sex education when they are young. “It’s not just about the birds and the bees.”

PULLQUOTE: “In principle it’s good, because that way everybody gets involved. But it’s practically that it doesn’t work.” – Dr. Laurie Betito