A small group of high school students in Central Ontario claim their principal threatened dententions if they joined a province-wide student protest Friday over recent changes to Ontario’s sex-ed and Indigenous curriculums.
According to Terra Patrick, she and other students at Centre Hastings Secondary School in Madoc walked out on Friday afternoon as part of a province-wide student protest. Patrick says she and the group of less than 10 spent the last period of classes making signs, social media posts and a chalk drawing outside the school of 550 students which is about 74 kilometres east of Peterborough.
WATCH: Centre Hastings Secondary School students protest
She said they want to show Premier Doug Ford that students “have a voice.”
“We disagree with the removal of important topics, like consent and LGBTQ+ information,” said Patrick, a Grade 12 student.
In July, Premier Ford and his Progressive Conservative government announced the scrapping of the sex-ed curriculum introduced by the previous Liberal government three year ago. Instead, the curriculum would revert to teachings from 1998. Many critics say those teachings don’t include topics such as homosexuality, same-sex relationships, online bullying and gender identity.
The province also ended plans to update the Indigenous studies curriculum, another concern for the Madoc students.
But Patrick claims school principal Paul Pickard removed posters from the school’s front lobby and “discouraged” students from participating in the walkout. She said the principal was “threatening” detention and removal of other privileges to anyone who joined in the walkout.
On Friday afternoon, CHEX News reached Pickard who said “no comment” when asked about the accusations, adding that the student walkout was not a school-related activity.
“I have no comment,” he said several times.
Patrick says they were told their lobbying would not make a difference.
“Our principal told us that we were uninformed, and that the changes do not affect us. While there may be no direct impact on our education, it affects future Ontario students,” said Patrick.
“We also worry that it will affect Ontario communities as acceptance and awareness of certain topics may be reduced due to the curriculum changes and the fact that these topics will no longer be taught.”
On Twitter the hashtag #wethestudentsdonotconsent was trending on Friday.
CHEX News also requested comment from Lucille Kyle, chairperson of the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board.
More to come.
Note: An original headline version of this story incorrectly stated “suspensions” rather than “detentions.”