The facts about Ontario's sex ed curriculum

The Ontario election campaign hasn't begun officially,but it's already in full swing with leadership candidates holding town halls and speaking tours. And one of the issues galvanizing Progressive Conservative voters has been the provincial sex ed curriculum.

PC Leader Doug Ford has not been clear about what he would do if made premier. Since winning the leadership hehas said he would scrap the curriculum altogether, but a statement issued Tuesday by his campaignsaid Fordis "going to examine the entire curriculum and consult with parents and teachers to ensure Ontario children have the essential skills, including math, needed for the jobs of the future."

The topic was debated by all Ford'sPC leadership rivals, including Tanya Granic Allen and Christine Elliott, and Ford's sex ed stance helped him win.

Butdo Ford and his defeated rivalsknow what they're talking about when it comes to this issue? To find out, CBC Newstookfive statements made during the two PCleadership debates and ran them by two experts, as well asOntario'sMinistry of Education.

Carly Basian, from Toronto,leadsworkshops on the new sex educationcurriculum for students, teachers and other school personnel across Ontario, andJessica O'Reilly, also from Toronto,is a public speaker who also provides some trainingon sex education for teachers.

Here's what they have to say.

'Parents were not consulted on sex education. I can guarantee it.'
- Doug Ford

In the fall of 2014, the Ministry of Education surveyed approximately 4,000 parents, one forevery elementary school in the province, according to the ministry.

"To have 4,000 voices chime in, that's a very solid number," Basian said.

Principals and parent involvement committee chairs chose which parent representative from the school council would complete the survey, and were told to do so independently to ensure "the quality and integrity of the data," the ministry said.

Theministry also gathered input from "2,400 educators and other stakeholders via face-to-face sessions and an online survey,"and "consulted 700 students in 26 face-to-face regional consultation sessions."

In addition, police, academics, Children's Aid Societies, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health,the Ontario Physical and Health Education Association, the Ontario Healthy Schools Coalition and the Institute for Catholic Education were consulted.

'Maybe [students]could concentrate full scale on math if they weren't talking about anal sex in the classroom.'
- TanyaGranic Allen

Adding same-sex relationships to the curriculum caused such a backlash in 2010 that former premier Dalton McGuinty dropped the whole thing hours after hiseducation minister defended it in the legislature. The curriculum was eventually introducedin the fall of 2015.

Basian said thatprior to the new curriculum, there was no mention of anything other than penile-vaginal sex.

"We have to consider that sex is different for different people," Basiansaid.

"It's not a how-to guide, but a harm-reduction approach," O'Reilly added.

For example, the new curriculum warns students about the risks of HIV transmission from "vaginal or anal intercourse without a condom."It suggests teachers explain the importance of delaying sexual activity by "choosing to abstain from having vaginal or anal intercourse."

Basian saidsome misconceptions arisefrom how the curriculum is designed. Teachers are given specific "expectations" whichthe teacher must teachand embedded within theexpectations are examples that aren't mandatory.

The examples about anal and oral sex are optional, according to the ministry, and they are also a minor part of the school year.

"The sexual health curriculum is only 10 per centof the health curriculum. So you're only teaching sexual health one or two weeks of the year," Basian added.

'Right now in our curriculum, pornography is not even mentioned.'
- Tanya Granic Allen

Pornography is addressed in Grade 9 as an optional example of "harmful or undesirable information and entertainment," according to the ministry.

It'sincluded as a possible implication of online activity.

• Read the ministry's entire health and physical educationcurriculum for yourself here.

'The other whole area that the curriculum doesn't cover is things like cyberbullying and sexting, and all those things related to technology.'
-Christine Elliott

"It's just inaccurate," Basian said. "It is there as a topic that teachers are welcome to talk about with their students, from Grade 7 onward, to highlight how students can engage safely online."

The ministry documents talk about "not sharing personal information, videos and photos," O'Reillyadded.

They talk about "understanding the risks and benefits associated with digital technology; respecting the privacy of others and not sharing other people's photos without consent; developing assertion skills, in person and online; how to respond to uncomfortable situations online such as leaving a conversation or using anonymous reporting systems to report abusive behaviour; developing skills to respond to bullying and stand up for others; and understanding the risks associated with sexting."

CBCalso decided to fact check this exchange between Granic Allen and Elliott.

Granic Allen: "Would you or anyone else on the stage commit to giving advance notice of when these contentious materials will be discussed so that parents can exercise that choice that you so eloquently spoke of?"

Elliott: "Yes, of course they should. People used to know when these things are being taught. If they can't now they should have the right for their child not to be in that class if they don't want them to."

So are parents getting advance notice?

"It depends on the teacher," Basian said."It is up to the teacher and the school administration to determine if parents are alerted ahead of time. Best practice is to give a heads up to families so they can begin having conversations at home."

Not all teachers are teaching the new curriculum. Both Basian and O'Reilly saidteachers in public and Catholic boards who are uncomfortable with the content are choosing to avoid parts of it. And of course, nobody is standing at the back of the classroom to enforceit.

Ontario Today, CBC Radio's province-wide, open-line show with host Rita Celli, is opening the lines at noon Wednesday to hear from teachers about what it's really like to teach the new curriculum.

O'Reilly will be Celli's guest.