Mississauga News: Peel board provides guide to revised sex ed curriculum

By Mileena Sobreira-Yousufy

The Peel District School Board is providing a “factual” guide for parents regarding the controversial sex education curriculum.

The guide will include information about the new curriculum, actions the board has taken, and a grade by grade chart of what students will be taught. The guide will be distributed to every parent with students in grades 1 to 12.
"We made a commitment to our parent community to provide a factual, easy-to-read guide to the curriculum and we have delivered on that promise," Brian Woodland, director of communications and community relations, said in a released statement. "There has been so much misinformation and inaccuracy about the revised HPE curriculum. We believe parents should make an informed choice based on the facts. That is what our students deserve."

The guide has been endorsed by multiple community and faith groups, according to Dr. Eileen de Villa, medical officer of health for the Region of Peel.

"The revised curriculum is based on sound public health research and is all about keeping students safe, but there has been so much misinformation in the community about it,” de Villa said. “This Peel board guide will help parents and guardians understand what the curriculum is and is not, and show how teachers and families can work together to help children make healthier choices."
Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria, vice-president – Ontario for the World Sikh Organization, said his organization supports the brochure.

“We believe it is important for parents to make an informed decision about the revised HPE curriculum. The guide is very helpful in that decision-making process," he said.
Translated versions of the guide will be available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Spanish, Tamil, Urdu, Vietnamese and of course English.
To read the full parent guide and to learn more, visit http://www.peelschools.org/HPE