Many parents assume that the content being provided to their children on the topic of health and sexual education is similar to the materials they may have received when they went to school. In fact, parents are often alarmed to learn about specific content being offered to K-12 students in Alberta, as well as the external organizations who are increasingly accessing students in school, often without parental awareness.

Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE)

There are growing concerns among parents regarding the move toward more "Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE)" in Alberta's K-12 classrooms and worldwide - specifically that this form of sexual education is not age appropriate and over-informs with explicit material, while simultaneously withholding other important information that is critical for the health and safety of children and youth. Many parents are worried that this form of sexual education endangers the health of children physically, emotionally, and psychologically.

We encourage parents to become familiar with what is meant by comprehensive sexual education and the types of materials and resources often included in CSE-based approaches to sexual education, which often include an emphasis on 1) consent; 2) pleasure; and 3) gender ideology.

The following resources offer information to help equip parents with an understanding of CSE approaches to sexual education. (WARNING: Sensitive subject matter). 

• Video: The War on Children (worldwide)
• Video: Dr. Miriam Grossman, medical doctor, clinical child psychologist and counsellor speaking about CSE from a medical perspective (Ontario)
• Video: Dr. Miriam Grossman: an overview of her book, ”You’re Teaching My Child WHAT?”

What resources offer information about alternatives to CSE?

The following are a variety of provincial, national and international organizations that offer support and guidance to parents, teachers and administrators seeking an alternative to CSE approaches to sexuality and gender.

Note: PCE does not officially recommend or endorse any particular resources, but leaves it up to individual parents and educators to discern the most appropriate resources for their own context.  If you know of any additional resources not yet listed here please send to [email protected] for consideration to be included.

• PEACE Parents (Ontario) is a faith-based organization offering information to any parent who is interested in advocating for an “inclusive design model” within their local schools.  They have produced a webinar and printed “Parent Support Guide” to help parents understand how they can advocate for alternative approaches to CSE in order to better meet their child’s needs (note the section focused on Ontario curriculum will not be directly applicable to Alberta).
• ASCEND (USA) “aims to empower today’s youth to make healthy, informed decisions about sex... In addition, we are advocates for parents and communities. We strongly believe that they should have the choice to select Sexual Risk Avoidance for their children. Because of the work we have done in the past decade, the majority of states — and even more communities — are teaching the health-affirming SRA message in health classes across the country.”
  
  Ascend offers a three page summary sheet “Sexual Risk Avoidance Education: What You Need To Know” along with a tremendous number of other supports for parents, teachers and administrators in their “Resources” section.
• Transgender Trend Resources & Support (U.K.) is “an organisation of parents, professionals and academics based in the UK who are concerned about the current trend to diagnose children as transgender, including the unprecedented number of teenage girls suddenly self-identifying as ‘trans’ (Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria or ROGD).... We have no religious or political affiliation. We come from diverse backgrounds, and our team includes teachers and safeguarding professionals, academics and parents, some of whom were themselves extreme gender non-conforming children and adolescents…” 
  
  Transgender Trend offers a variety of resources in their  “Schools Resources” section to help support parents, teachers and administrators.
• Focus on the Family (N. America) is a faith-based organization and offers a resource for parents “Talking to your children about transgender issues”.
  

Return to the Health and Sexual Education page.