Sex Education: Over 200 Exempt Students
Some 80% of students released from sex education come from the same school board
Ibrahim Sballil, president of Parents engaged in the Outaouais regrets that before the intervention of his grouping,
schools denied that an exemption procedure was possible.
An Outaouais school board will be accountable to the Minister of Education because its schools have accepted that
200 students are exempt from sexuality education content, a gigantic number compared to the rest of Quebec.
"If we realize that there are loopholes that are exploited by groups of parents, we will tighten the guidelines,
says the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge. The exemptions must be really, really exceptional. "
For a year now, sex education is supposed to be back in all schools in Quebec. Parents who wish that
their children are out of the classroom when certain topics are dealt with by a procedure established by the ministry.
Schools across the province received 540 exemption requests, of which 237 were accepted by the branches, according to the ministry.
However, 81% of these exemptions granted come from the same school board or Portages-de-l'Outaouais (CSPO).
Elsewhere, less than fifty students across Quebec were able to leave the class during the workshops.
"Have these requests been analyzed by the CSPO?" Asks the minister, who intends to hold the organization accountable.
heaviness
In the field, CSPO staff had to deal with each of these requests piecemeal, which led to cumbersome
explains Suzanne Tremblay of the Teachers' Union of the Outaouais.
For example, what to do when a primary school student has to leave the room for a workshop? It is often the specialist education technician
who was to take care of it, instead of being in class to give her usual support, illustrates Mrs. Tremblay.
But how to explain such a volume in a small school board based in Gatineau?
Outaouais Parents Parents, Ibrahim Sballil, believes his organization has had an important role to play.
His association is composed mainly of Muslim parents, but is open to all religions, he says.
From the beginning, the parents were not consulted by the government on the content, he criticizes.
The group asked the CSPO for an information meeting attended by some 300 parents in the fall of 2018.
Trans and homosexuality
The themes of homosexuality and transgender reality were at the heart of the demands. More specifically, the idea that people
do not choose their sexual orientation, and that sex does not determine the gender of the person, Sballil explains.
He does not blame the program for talking about it, but believes it lacks "neutrality" in presenting
the religious point of view as a "perspective to fight".
"I totally disagree," said Minister Roberge. Sex education classes are neither proreligion nor anti-religion. "
The Portages-de-l'Outaouais School Board refused our request for an interview.
Portages-de-l'Outaouais School Board
214 requests
192 accepted
Elsewhere in Quebec
326 requests
45 accepted
Total
540 requests
237 accepted
schools denied that an exemption procedure was possible.
An Outaouais school board will be accountable to the Minister of Education because its schools have accepted that
200 students are exempt from sexuality education content, a gigantic number compared to the rest of Quebec.
"If we realize that there are loopholes that are exploited by groups of parents, we will tighten the guidelines,
says the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge. The exemptions must be really, really exceptional. "
For a year now, sex education is supposed to be back in all schools in Quebec. Parents who wish that
their children are out of the classroom when certain topics are dealt with by a procedure established by the ministry.
Schools across the province received 540 exemption requests, of which 237 were accepted by the branches, according to the ministry.
However, 81% of these exemptions granted come from the same school board or Portages-de-l'Outaouais (CSPO).
Elsewhere, less than fifty students across Quebec were able to leave the class during the workshops.
"Have these requests been analyzed by the CSPO?" Asks the minister, who intends to hold the organization accountable.
heaviness
In the field, CSPO staff had to deal with each of these requests piecemeal, which led to cumbersome
explains Suzanne Tremblay of the Teachers' Union of the Outaouais.
For example, what to do when a primary school student has to leave the room for a workshop? It is often the specialist education technician
who was to take care of it, instead of being in class to give her usual support, illustrates Mrs. Tremblay.
But how to explain such a volume in a small school board based in Gatineau?
Outaouais Parents Parents, Ibrahim Sballil, believes his organization has had an important role to play.
His association is composed mainly of Muslim parents, but is open to all religions, he says.
From the beginning, the parents were not consulted by the government on the content, he criticizes.
The group asked the CSPO for an information meeting attended by some 300 parents in the fall of 2018.
Trans and homosexuality
The themes of homosexuality and transgender reality were at the heart of the demands. More specifically, the idea that people
do not choose their sexual orientation, and that sex does not determine the gender of the person, Sballil explains.
He does not blame the program for talking about it, but believes it lacks "neutrality" in presenting
the religious point of view as a "perspective to fight".
"I totally disagree," said Minister Roberge. Sex education classes are neither proreligion nor anti-religion. "
The Portages-de-l'Outaouais School Board refused our request for an interview.
Portages-de-l'Outaouais School Board
214 requests
192 accepted
Elsewhere in Quebec
326 requests
45 accepted
Total
540 requests
237 accepted
Montreal students were not excluded
The schools of the metropolis refused all requests for exemption received, decisions that contrast
with those taken in the Outaouais, according to a compilation of the Journal.
"When we look at the number for all of Quebec, I do not see a big scandal," said Education Minister Jean-François Roberge.
"Elsewhere [at the Portages-de-l'Outaouais School Board], there may be groups of parents who have mobilized,
but who have been told no, "he suggests.
The Journal obtained by access request the number of applications received and granted in each school board,
and none of those located in Montreal noted that they had exempted students, despite the multiethnic clientele.
This is the case at the Pointe-de-l'Île School Board (CSPI), which has received applications for 13 students.
"We expected to receive much more than that," admits Valérie Biron, Secretary General.
The schools of the metropolis refused all requests for exemption received, decisions that contrast
with those taken in the Outaouais, according to a compilation of the Journal.
"When we look at the number for all of Quebec, I do not see a big scandal," said Education Minister Jean-François Roberge.
"Elsewhere [at the Portages-de-l'Outaouais School Board], there may be groups of parents who have mobilized,
but who have been told no, "he suggests.
The Journal obtained by access request the number of applications received and granted in each school board,
and none of those located in Montreal noted that they had exempted students, despite the multiethnic clientele.
This is the case at the Pointe-de-l'Île School Board (CSPI), which has received applications for 13 students.
"We expected to receive much more than that," admits Valérie Biron, Secretary General.
Less than expected
According to the department's guidelines, parents could invoke two grounds for requesting a waiver. The first is a possible psychological harm that may be caused by exposure to certain content, such as when the child has been sexually assaulted.
But in the vast majority of applications, the second ground that has been invoked is a violation of a guaranteed fundamental right
by Canadian and Quebec charters, generally for religious reasons.
The parents then had to take an oath and prove the "seriousness" of the request. They had to specify the contents to avoid
for their child. In all cases, the final decision was made by the school administration. However, the CSPI has
set up a committee to make recommendations to the directors.
For example, parents who did not believe in homosexuality alleged that this would undermine their parental authority
if their youth heard about it, she illustrates.
"The committee was not closed to accepting certain requests."
But none of these parents proved that there would be any serious harm if their child attended classes.
According to the department's guidelines, parents could invoke two grounds for requesting a waiver. The first is a possible psychological harm that may be caused by exposure to certain content, such as when the child has been sexually assaulted.
But in the vast majority of applications, the second ground that has been invoked is a violation of a guaranteed fundamental right
by Canadian and Quebec charters, generally for religious reasons.
The parents then had to take an oath and prove the "seriousness" of the request. They had to specify the contents to avoid
for their child. In all cases, the final decision was made by the school administration. However, the CSPI has
set up a committee to make recommendations to the directors.
For example, parents who did not believe in homosexuality alleged that this would undermine their parental authority
if their youth heard about it, she illustrates.
"The committee was not closed to accepting certain requests."
But none of these parents proved that there would be any serious harm if their child attended classes.
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