Teachers in Ontario remain in the dark as to what is to be taught as part of the sex-ed curriculum with less than a month remaining before classes begin this fall.
The PC government scrapped the modernized version of the curriculum that was amended in 2015 to include education on how to handle online bullying and sexting — reverting to material last revised in 1998.
A new curriculum has yet to materialize, according to President of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario.
Adelina Cecchin tells AM800 News teachers are being told to move forward with their best judgment to keep students safe.
"Under the Education Act teachers have a responsibility to make sure that students are safe at school and by not teaching this curriculum we really do believe that we're putting students at risk," she says.
She says teachers are being told to move forward with their best judgment to keep students safe.
"In light of how critical this issue is around student safety and making sure that our students get the correct information we have said for teachers to use their professional judgment in delivering lessons and delivering information to our students to ensure that safety remains a priority," she added.
According to Cecchin, teachers have an obligation under the Education Act to address safety issues revolving around sexting and cyberbullying.
"It has a tremendous impact on our students and these are current and realistic issues that our students face that they need the information and strategies on how to deal with that," says Cecchin. "By not doing that we leave our students vulnerable."
Cecchin says more than 30 school boards across the province have formally opposed the Tories decision to roll sex-ed back 20 years.
She says implying society hasn't evolved since 1998 is not a responsible move by provincial leaders.
A statement from the Minister of Education materials will be available in the near future, but did not specify if it would be ready for the start of the school year.
— with files from AM800's Teresina Medeiros