Alberta vetting process limits sexual education materials for students, some experts say

Some sexual health education experts, advocacy groups and teachers say new provincial approval requirements have left educators with inadequate options to teach Alberta’s health curriculum.

Since new laws took effect in September, Alberta’s education ministry must approve every worksheet, video, PowerPoint presentation, activity, pamphlet or external presentation that educators use to teach sexual health outcomes, or deliver lessons about sexual orientation or gender identity.

Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides has said the government is screening to ensure resources and presenters align with the curriculum and are age-appropriate.

Teachers and sex education advocates who spoke to CBC say the changes have put a chill on teaching sex education that has led to watered-down lessons that may be inadequate to help students protect themselves from infections, pregnancy or abuse.

“I feel like this really has the potential to cause great harm that we don't know of, but that we will be forced to navigate in the years to come,” said Jamie Anderson, a former teacher who has taught sex ed, and is now an education PhD candidate at the University of Calgary.

The new rules are in one of three gender policy laws the Alberta government shielded from court challenges in 2025 by invoking the notwithstanding clause.

As of Jan. 26, Alberta’s education ministry had approved 164 resources for use in these lessons, according to Garrett Koehler, senior press secretary to Minister Nicolaides. Koehler said no resources are “rejected,” but are sent back to the applicant to be revised and resubmitted.

He would not say how many resources have been submitted in total.

Fewer than 10 per cent of the resources the government has reviewed were returned for revision, according to the ministry.

“The focus of this process is quality and alignment with the curriculum – not the volume of submissions at any given time,” he said.

More than 30 organizations have applied to be third-party presenters for sexual health education in provincial schools.

As of late January, the government had approved 11 organizations as presenters. Each organization is limited to presenting on select topics to specific grades in line with the curriculum.

There are no external parties approved to present to Grade 5 or 6 students, and only Primary Care Alberta is approved to present to fourth-graders in the central and Calgary zones.

The Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) has submitted teacher-created resources to the government on an ongoing basis for provincial approval, spokesperson Kim Smith said in an email.