N.S. schools stuck between polarized opinions on gender, sexuality
CBC
As public debate over sex education in schools has been escalating across the country, Nova Scotia teachers and administrators have been fielding more questions and complaints, and in some cases, struggling to respond.
Documents obtained by CBC News through access to information laws provide a glimpse into what the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and regional centres for education have recently heard from parents.
Some are worried LGBTQ youth are not safe at school and are calling for stronger policies to ensure the gender identity of students is respected.
Others are worried their children are being exposed to inappropriate material, in secret, and want conversations about gender and sexuality to be either restricted, or left out of classrooms entirely.
A French elementary school in Bedford offers an example of how schools are caught in the middle.
In April 2023, students at Ecole Beaubassin attended sex-ed workshops put on by a guest.
According to a letter sent to Beaubassin families by the director of the French school board, the Conseil scolaire acadian provincial (CSAP), the workshops covered the topics of DNA, biological sex, gender identity, non-cisgender terminology and gender expression.
"Sessions with students on diversity seem to have generated strong reactions from members of the community," the letter said.
The CSAP stopped offering the workshops and apologized to families for not advising them about the content ahead of time.
But it seems the school board could do no right. The apology generated a strong reaction of its own. One parent said in an email to the education minister that the CSAP was failing to maintain a "safe, positive and inclusive learning environment for LGBTQIA+ students."
Halting the program, the parent said, "deprives students of vital education and it signals to them that their dignity and well-being is not a priority."
The dispute at Beaubassin is not unique. A September 2023 email between staff with the education department refers to a "growing number of inquiries related to health education" and the need for a cohesive response.
More than a dozen of those inquiries were included in documents released to CBC dating back to the start of the 2022-2023 school year.
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