Now that students are back in class across Alberta, we hear concerns from parents that they are alienated from their children's lives while they are at school.

What is a parent to do?

First, we are reprinting an article from the Western Standard, written by our Executive Director, John Hilton-O'Brien.  It discusses a problem – some parents are finding that the school doesn’t ask their consent before teaching about sexuality – and offers some solutions. 

Secondly, we have a piece by concerned parent and political activist Martin Tampier, on sexual consent as presented in schools. He has written a devastating piece on how the idea of "consent" as taught within sexual education is used to break down the natural protective barriers of children on the one hand, and to create barriers between children and their parents on the other. He argues that the definition of consent as used in legal settings and as taught in educational settings is dangerously misleading when it is applied to issues surrounding sexual relations.

Tampier has also published a related piece in C2C Journal, regarding consent to “gender affirming treatment.” It is worth a read.

Finally, we have prepared a detailed resource to help parents advocate for their children and for changes to the system.  It offers strategies to communicate with your child to better understand the material being presented during school hours, and to improve communication with teachers and administrators.

We hope that these resources are useful to you.  John’s latest piece was written in response to parental concerns to a specific issue – and we can bring your concerns into the public eye as well. Please do not hesitate to contact us!

As a non-profit organization, Parents for Choice in Education (PCE) depends entirely on the voluntary donations of citizens to carry out its mission of advocating for excellence in education through maximum parental choice. 

To support PCE's ongoing work, please consider donating by cheque or online.  Thank you to each person who helps make this important work possible!