“There never was the expectation to have all the materials ready for Sept. 1,” said Michael Paulter, executive director of the Institute for Catholic Education (ICE). “The project has proceeded smoothly and we are still on track to have resources available for school boards.”
On its web site, ICE says that “the vast majority of classroom materials and teacher resources will be available three to four months before they are required.”
ICE was tasked on June 1 by the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario with co-ordinating the development of resource material.
“Classroom resources will be released and distributed to school boards throughout the 2015-2016 school year,” according to the ICE web site.
Paulter said this kind of staggered release is consistent with past programs, adding that introducing a new curriculum is a process.
“Implementation of a new or revised curriculum should be understood as a process rather than an event,” he said. “The process we are following, including analysis, resource development, editorial pedagogical review is consistent with the work that schools routinely undertake with each curriculum revision by the Ministry (of Education).”
The first wave of these documents, for both elementary and secondary teachers, is expected to be available as early as late October.
In addition to the classroom resources now undergoing review, a third set of documents was developed during the summer intended to “introduce the curriculum” to parents. These include pamphlets and brochures for parents, some of which are available now on the ICE web site.
Since the revisions to the sex-ed curriculum were introduced, parents across the province, from both Catholic and public schools, have been protesting the implementation. Most objections have centred on the new curriculum teaches topics such as sexual orientation, oral and anal sex, and masturbation at too young of an age.
“The sex-ed curriculum from start to finish is terrible but there are aspects that I didn’t agree with,” said Siobhan Kerr, a former Catholic elementary teacher who left the profession to home school her children. “When you look what is going to be taught — different genders and gender fluidity concept and also the concept of masturbation in Grade 6 — these are grave matters for Catholics.”
She believes that teachers will “definitely not” be able to put a Catholic lens on such topics.
ICE disagrees.
“For more than 30 years all Catholic schools in Ontario have successfully provided a family life curriculum within a Catholic framework,” reads a document on ICE’s web site.
“We are confident that we will be able to deliver the revised curriculum ... in a way that is consistent with Church teachings and our faith traditions.”