How Alberta’s Proposed Sex-Ed Opt-In Compares to Other Regions

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks to media at the Council of the Federation Canadian premiers meeting in Winnipeg, on July 11, 2023. The Canadian Press/John Woods

Sex education has been a contentious issue in Canada for nearly a decade as school boards increasingly incorporate gender ideology into their curriculums.

The issue was brought to the forefront by Alberta’s plan to introduce legislation this fall to prevent children from learning about gender identity, sexual orientation, or human sexuality at school without parental consent.

If the legislation passes, Alberta will be the first province in the country to have an opt-in sex education and gender identity policy for schools.

While the specifics of how schools teach sexuality and gender identity varies by school board, many of the remaining provinces have policies in place allowing parents to either request lesson exemptions or an alternate method of learning for sex education.

Here’s a look at the provinces that allow opt-outs, those that do not, and what options are available to parents in each region.

Alberta

Sex education is currently a mandatory component of studies from Grade 4 to Grade 9 in Alberta, but parents have the right to exempt their child from instruction.

That opt-out format would change if Premier Danielle Smith’s legislation is approved. If made law, it would require parental approval for children to participate in any sex- or gender-related instruction.

“When it comes to classroom instruction on subject matter involving gender identity, sexual orientation or human sexuality, we will be requiring parental notification and an opt-in requirement for each instance a teacher intends to give formal instruction on these subjects,” Smith said in a video posted to social media earlier this year.

All Kindergarten to Grade 12 third-party teaching materials and presentations related to gender identity, sexual orientation, or human sexuality will also need to be pre-approved by the Ministry of Education “to ensure the materials are age-appropriate,” Smith said.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides told The Epoch Times the proposed changes are based on feedback that parents “want to be more involved and have more say in their child’s education, especially in respect to sexual education.”

Ontario

Ontario parents have the right to request exemption from sexual health instruction for their children, including the sexual orientation and gender identity teachings that were added to the province’s health curriculum by the Liberals in 2015.

The opt-out provision, which was added in 2019, is applicable to all students through Grade 8.

The policy requires school boards to develop a strategy that “allows for students to be exempted at the request of their parents” from gender identity teachings and other sex education-related topics without academic penalty.

The opt-out applies solely to instruction related to the Human Development and Sexual Health expectations in Ontario’s curriculum. That means students could potentially be instructed in gender ideology issues as part of other subjects.

A leaked email from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board sent to staff last May showed that could be the case in the region’s 115 elementary schools.

The email, which was leaked by Chanel Pfahl, a former Barrie, Ont., high school teacher, said LGBT curriculum should be offered to the school community without the option to opt out.

“Ensuring representation in the curriculum and classroom is a fundamental human right,” the message said.

The issue of sex-ed was a hotly debated topic in the lead-up to the 2018 provincial election, with Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford pledging to repeal the curriculum brought in by the previous Liberal government. After winning the election, the PC government adopted an interim curriculum that removed some of the more contentious topics. Teachers’ unions and the NDP opposed removing some of the topics, while parental groups criticized the government for not going far enough in removing the controversial topics.

The government eventually adopted a permanent curriculum in 2019 that, except for a few changes, remained more or less the same as the original pre-2018 curriculum. One of the notable changes, however, was an opt-out policy allowing parents to pull their children from sex-ed classes. Compared to an opt-in arrangement, an opt-out scheme requires parents to proactively take their children out of class, rather than the school system requiring permission before automatically enrolling students for sex education.

British Columbia

The B.C. ministry of education allows for “some flexibility” in how sex-ed is taught, but does not offer parents the option to have their children exempt from any portion of the curriculum.

The province will not exempt students from sexual orientation and gender identity lessons in the context of bullying, tolerance, or inclusivity, according to the British Columbia School Trustees Association.

Students can only be allowed “some flexibility” in the delivery of gender ideology topics if they relate to reproduction and sexuality, the association says.

While students can’t be exempt from reproduction and sexuality lessons, parents can request an “alternative” means of learning, but that method must be approved by the school.

“The alternate delivery policy does not allow students to ‘opt-out’ of learning about these topics,” the province says in a post on its website. “There are several ways in which the preferences of students and their parents or guardians regarding alternative delivery can be accommodated.”

Parents can request home instruction on these topics using a school-determined package of materials or other agreed-upon materials, the province said. The studies can also be self-directed as long as they meet the provincial learning standards.

Saskatchewan

Parents in Saskatchewan can choose to opt their children out of the human sexuality unit in its entirety or from specific portions of the curriculum taught in the province’s schools.

Implemented in 2023, the policy was put in place in response to parental concern about some of the content used from third-party organizations such as the ARC Foundation and the SOGI 123 Program.

“Our government has heard the concerns raised by Saskatchewan parents about needing to be notified and included in their children’s education in these important areas,” Education Minister Dustin Duncan said in a 2023 press release. “Parent/guardian involvement is critical in every student’s education.”

As part of the changes, outside third-parties are no longer able to present sexual education materials in the classroom, the province said. Parents must also be informed and give consent for students under 16 to change their pronouns.

Manitoba

Manitoba’s education ministry puts special emphasis on parental involvement and feedback about sex education, according to ministry documents.

All sex education-related programming information must be sent to parents before it is taught, the ministry said. They can then choose between school-based or “alternative” delivery of the sex-ed content.

“Parents have the right to opt for alternative delivery (e.g., home, professional counselling) for their child where the content is in conflict with family, religious, and/or cultural values,” the document says.

The opt-out option applies to all “potentially sensitive” content.

Quebec

Elementary and secondary students are taught about sexuality as part of the Culture and Citizenship in Quebec program. Every aspect of sex education is compulsory in Quebec, although there are measures in place if parents believe their child should be exempted from a portion of the curriculum.

Rather than signing an opt-out form, Quebec parents must prove either that the curriculum could cause psychological harm to their child or prove that it infringes on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Parents start the process by speaking with the school’s principal before their request goes to a school board committee for approval.

New Brunswick

Policy 713, also known as the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity policy, is an education directive established by the province of New Brunswick. The policy, which was last revised in 2023, does not mention opt-out options for any sexual education related curriculum.

The Epoch Times contacted both the education ministry and several school boards but did not receive a response about how the sex education curriculum is currently being handled.

Education Minister Bill Hogan said last year his department was reviewing the province’s sex education curriculum and discussed the possibility of introducing an opt-out option.

“Parents have a right to choose what they want their children to be exposed to,” he said during a 2023 rally protesting gender identity curriculum in schools. Both Hogan and Premier Blaine Higgs said they attended the rally to hear parents’ concerns.

Nova Scotia

In Nova Scotia, sexual health education is taught throughout the school year and is not relegated to a particular time or class, according to the province.

“Sexual health education concepts are connected to other topics in the health education curriculum, like safe and healthy relationships, substance misuse, safe use of technology, and personal safety,” states a teaching resource posted online.

“At the elementary level, health education concepts can be integrated with other subjects, such as English language arts, social studies and visual arts.”

A ministry spokesperson confirmed via email there is no opt-out option offered to parents, but did not say if other options are open to parents with concerns.

The teaching resource, which was published in 2021, said the healthy living course is “compulsory” for all Grade 7 to 9 students.

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island parents can expect to be informed prior to topics focusing on gender identity or sexual health being taught in the classroom, a government publication says.

There are no opt-out forms available to parents, however, parents are encouraged to speak to their child’s teacher about curriculum concerns, the province said.

“The department respects parents as the primary guide and decision-maker in their children’s lives and education, the document says. “If the curriculum does not meet a family’s views, parents have kept their child home on occasion.”

Schools are “encouraged” to expand upon the formal curriculum with supplementary, informal activities in their schools such as diversity or gender-themed assemblies and other events, the province said. Parents are also given a heads-up about such events.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador schools do not offer opt-out options in any of its curriculum for students, the Department of Education told The Epoch Times.

“The department doesn’t offer optional courses, topics, or units (except for programming in high school),” a department spokesperson said in an email. “Parents can choose to remove their children from school or classes in consultation with the teacher and school administration but there is no formal opt-out option.”

The province is currently updating its health education framework for Grades 4 through high school in consultation with experts in the fields of adolescent medicine, psychology, mental health, and addictions, the department said. An update to the health curriculum for Kindergarten to Grade 3 students has also been in the works for the past two years.

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories does not have a policy for opting out of the sex education curriculum itself.

Rather, there is a decentralized system of authority set out in the province’s Education Act that empowers education bodies to make policy decisions for schools within their jurisdiction, Department of Education spokeswoman Briony Grabke told The Epoch Times in an email.

“In the case of sexual education curriculum, education bodies could send home permission slips/consent forms if warranted at the local level to inform parents/guardians and to provide the option of opting out of the programming,” Grabke said.

Yukon

Yukon schools follow the B.C. curriculum, with adaptations to include Yukon content, a ministry of education spokesperson told The Epoch Times. Just like in B.C., there is no opt-out policy for parents.

“The Department of Education understands the importance of families being informed about curriculum topics and encourages parents to discuss these topics with their child’s teacher or school principal,” spokesperson ​​Michael Edwards said. “Some parents and caregivers may prefer to address certain topics in ways other than regular classroom instruction by a teacher.”

Similar to B.C., Yukon parents can arrange for an alternative to in-class instruction for “sensitive topics,” but it is expected that students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of the sex-ed curriculum.

International Policies

Canada is not the only country where sex education has become controversial. Parents in both the United States and the United Kingdom have also raised concerns about age-inappropriate sexual content and discussions in the classroom.

United States

A patchwork of regulations relating to sex education are in place across the United States, with varying requirements from state-to-state.

Most states have policies regarding parental consent for sex education, with the majority favouring an opt-out option.

In total, 37 states as well as Washington DC have an opt-out policy, while four—Nevada, Utah, North Carolina, and Mississippi—have an opt-in policy, according to a sex-ed policy map. Six states have a combination of both, while three states have no policy regarding parental consent, the brief says.

Thirty-two states require all sex education materials be made available for parental review, according to the Sexuality Information and Education Council.

An Idaho school district voted last year to ban classroom discussions on gender identity. The Nampa School District now prohibits discussions or lessons on gender identity, transgenderism, and sexual orientation in the classroom.

In Maryland, meanwhile, a judge ruled last year that parents whose children attend school in the Montgomery County Public Schools district are not able to opt their children out of lessons featuring LGBT content. Montgomery County Public Schools is one of the largest school systems in the country, with some 160,000 students.

Parents argued that failure to provide opt-outs forced them to give up their religious beliefs. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman said the parents had not shown the policy would “result in the indoctrination of their children.”

United Kingdom

While the UK has a uniform approach across its schools, the sex education curriculum underwent a review last year to address concerns that some content being used during lessons was age-inappropriate.

Known as Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE), the revamped curriculum focuses on protecting pupils from being introduced “to things that they are too young to understand properly,” a post on the government’s education hub reads.

It also addressed parental involvement and advance access to lesson plans.

“You have a fundamental right to know what your children are being taught about healthy relationships, sex and development in school,” Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan wrote in an open letter to parents. “So, today I have acted by writing to schools, making it clear that as parents you should always be able to see the materials that are being used to teach your children.”

While it is mandatory for RSHE to be taught in all state-funded schools in the UK, there is an opt-out option for some portions of the curriculum, the government said. Parents can request their child be withdrawn from some or all of  the sex education portion of the teachings, but relationships education is compulsory.