Education Minister Liz Sandals revealed new changes to Ontario’s health and physical education curriculum, including significant changes in the sex-ed curriculum that take into account the technological world students live in today.
“The world has changed a lot in the last 15 years. Concepts such as smartphones, Snapchat and sexting were not familiar to anyone, let alone students,” Sandals said at a news conference Monday.
According to Sandals, the technological advances, which make information highly accessible, can sometimes be untrustworthy and deceiving.
“Students have instant access to quite explicit information from unreliable, inaccurate, and often offensive sources,” Sandals said. “This is why it’s so important to ensure that our children have the right information.”
The new curriculum will teach Grade 1 students about the proper names of body parts, Grade 2 students about consent, Grade 3 students about same-sex relationships and Grade 6 students about masturbation.
Sexting is another issue that will be covered. Students will learn about the risks and potential consequences of sharing sexual information and photos online.
Ontario schools will start teaching the new sex-ed curriculum in September.