Sask. takes broad approach to sexual education

REGINA – The Ontario government is garnering national attention for revamping its sex education curriculum to include topics like consent, sexting, and same-sex relationships. The new lessons haven’t been updated since 1998 and will be ready for students in the fall.

Students in Saskatchewan are taught what’s called health education, where sex-ed is part of a broader holistic approach to the traditional class.

While teachers must teach specific things like puberty in grade 5 and contraception in grade 9, there are no formal requirements for other topics, like sexting or same-sex relationships. The curriculum is described as more broad-based.

“For example if a teacher were to choose a read a book in a language-and-literacy class, and the book happened to have two moms as the family, that would be part of a broad-base sexuality program,” said Twyla Salm, a health education association professor at the University of Regina.

“Normalizing that there could be two moms in a family.”

Salm teaches education at the U of R and describes Saskatchewan’s curriculum as comprehensive.

“We hope that at the very end of their matriculation when they graduate, they will have a very comprehensive approach to education, not just a one shot deal in a 50 minute lesson plan,” she said.

The Saskatchewan health education curriculum for grades 1 to 5 was updated in 2010, grade 6 to 9 had a revamping in 2009, and grade 10 was updated in 2012.

One change in Ontario is grade 2 students will be taught about consent.

“There’s no specific reference to consent within the curriculum as such (in Saskatchewan), but it’s designed in such a way that teachers can introduce new concepts wherever that’s appropriate,” said Brett Waytuck, director of student achievement with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education.

While teachers have this flexibility, it raises questions about accountability. Waytuck said the school boards are responsible for ensuring students are receiving all the information.