The head of the labour union representing elementary school teachers in the Guelph area says that, with less than two weeks before the school year starts, her members have not yet seen the revised sex education curriculum.
Gundi Barbour, the president of the Upper Grand Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, said teachers she has spoken to are concerned.
“It’s certainly putting a chill on the classroom because it’s limiting teachers and the ability to meet the needs of students,” Barbour said in a phone interview on Thursday.
“They really don’t know what they’re going to be teaching.”
Barbour said it’s not known if the elementary teachers in Upper Grand will see the new curriculum before school starts on Sept. 4.
WATCH: Doug Ford says Ontario teachers could face consequences for teaching repealed sex-ed curriculum
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The revised curriculum was released on Wednesday by the Ontario government with a warning that teachers would face consequences if they did not stick to the new lesson plan.
The province even set up a website where parents can report any concerns, but Barbour said the so-called “snitch line” creates unnecessary chaos.
“This is actually misrepresenting what happens in schools, because in schools, if a parent has a concern about something that is happening in the classroom, the first line of action is to approach the teacher directly,” she said.
The scrapped curriculum included warnings about online bullying and sexting, but opponents objected to parts of it addressing same-sex marriage, gender identity and masturbation.
Premier Doug Ford said consultations on a new sex-ed curriculum will be launched in September.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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