Preserving Modesty in the Public School Sex Ed Classroom

We, the undersigned, recognize that...

Alberta Education is without definitive guidelines on classroom content when it comes to human sexuality programs of study. This leaves the door wide open for teachers (or invited community guests) to discuss oral sex, anal sex, same sex, masturbation, where to purchase contraceptives, and all other related subject(s) ...at their personal discretion.

Alberta Education also acknowledges that the human sexuality outcomes are considered controversial and have issued directives to this effect. They also concede that there is a wide range (up to three years) in the development of students in any one classroom, yet there are no legislative commitments to prevent inappropriate material from being introduced into classrooms of such a diverse age/maturity spread.

Knowing this and knowing our children, we feel compelled to exercise our parental responsibility of insisting that parents and students be presented with timely information and related options, in order to know whether or not our children will participate in the optional human sexuality outcomes.

We are also compelled to preserve our children's modesty by ensuring that the family values they are taught at home, remain uncompromised as long as possible and, if necessary, to exercise our mandated right to remove them from any awkward and inappropriate environments that the controversial human sexuality outcomes can easily create.

Make no mistake...

The morals and values that belong to our children are ours to cultivate ...not a teacher's, or a principal's, or a trustee's, or a student nurse, or heaven forbid, the government. No, our child's morals and modesty will be shaped by our parental influences.

So when one of your schools decides to introduce explicitly promiscuous material to my child's co-ed classroom led by adult strangers where the unsuspecting students are caught off-guard and embarrassed, and parents are totally oblivious as to what our children are about to partake in, know that you've just violated an entire community of students and their parents, and have subsequently destroyed any semblance of trust that you previously took for granted.

Do you think we don't notice..?
That we don't care..?
That you have our permission to indiscriminately plant graphic pictures and promiscuous concepts into our children's psyche..?

Many of our young children (some of them pre-teens) are so disinterested in the subject of sex that asking them to intentionally make it a part of their relationship-building and decision-making skill sets is highly pre-mature and inappropriate. As their parents, we know this to be true; as their professional educators, why don't you?

More importantly, why aren't you asking us what is appropriate for our children?

Don't presume that our children are yours to influence!

On the contrary, the only influence that we will allow you to have over our children is in the capacity of assigning certified professionals to teach core subjects and approved options. And until we learn that teachers are certified in the field of human sexuality and are mandated to teach our children their personal preferences, we will not allow you to bring controversially explicit material into our children's classroom ...especially without our permission.

So if you want to continue to boast a mutually trusting relationship between the parent communities and yourselves, you're going to have to work for it.

We want you to:

1. Demonstrate to the parents AND the students that you care about students' personal growth and development by keeping the parents AND the students informed of lesson content, especially as they pertain to the deliverability of human sexuality outcomes within the Alberta Education programs of study;
   
   


2. Show us your resolute commitment to preserving our children's modesty and family values by mandating policy that reflects their immutable personal rights, especially as they pertain to the deliverability of human sexuality outcomes within the Alberta Education programs of study;
   
   


3. Agree to enforce those policies that speak to the deliverability, responsibility and accountability of educational professionals charged with the task of presenting human sexuality content to our children;
   
   


4. Make every effort to seek parental input when it comes to making decisions involving any aspect of our children's morals, values, modesty or other traits that might contribute to their personal growth and well-being.
   
   

Remember, it takes a village to raise a child ...not a liberal-minded teacher given free reign to test the limits of their authority by an apathetic administrator and unwitting board members.

We also accept that school trustees take an oath of office upon their collective appointments and are mandated to provide for our children's welfare through the policies they make. We appeal to your sense of empathy and hold you accountable to that oath.

Appease our concerns and you'll find that you can restore our trust and respect.