A Mississauga byelection candidate is distributing 20,000 form letters to residents wishing to withdraw their children from the province’s new sex-ed curriculum.
Ward 4 candidate Arshad Mahmood unloaded a wheelbarrow full of the letters into a postal box near Central Parkway East and Burnhamthorpe Road on Sunday afternoon.
The letter allows parents to check off topics that they object to and formally request that their child be withdrawn from the classroom when they are being taught.
“I have been knocking on thousands of doors over the last three weeks and the number one issue that was raised by the residents was the new sex-ed curriculum,” Mahmood told CP24. “These letters are how I am demonstrating to the residents of Mississauga that I am the person that listened to them, who took action and is providing a solution.”
The changes to the provincial sex-ed curriculum, which are the first since 1998, will see students taught about consent, same-sex relationships and the dangers of online bullying and posting or sharing sexual images.
The changes will also see Grade 6 students taught about masturbation and kids in Grades 7 and 8 taught about contraception, anal and oral sex, and sexually transmitted infections.
The form letter that Mahmood is distributing to Mississauga residents states that the revised curriculum “does not fully comply with family values and/or religious beliefs,” and notes that those beliefs are protected under the education act.
The letter can be addressed to either the Peel District School Board or Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.
“I am formally asking you to place this letter in my child’s Ontario Student Record (OSR) so that there will be no confusion about my wishes. Please acknowledge receipt of this letter in writing at the address below. Additionally please forward a copy of this letter to the Principal at my child’s school. I trust that you will respect my right as a parent to choose what is best for my child/children,” the letter states.
Education Minister Liz Sandals responded to the campaign in a statement emailed to CP24 Sunday afternoon.
“It is unfortunate to see a municipal candidate playing politics with our students (sic) health, safety, and well-being, and mis-informing parents for his own political gain,” Sandals said in the statement.
She said the new sexual education curriculum was drafted with the input of parents.
“With regards to parents, we consulted with thousands from across the Province through the online survey sent to 4,000 elementary schools to provide input, and face-to-face meetings with organizations such as People for Education, Ontario Parents in Catholic Education, and the Ontario Home and School Association.”
She noted that while students are able to opt out of specific lessons if they speak with the teacher and principal as per the protocols at their child’s school, students are not able to opt out of the entire curriculum.
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