REGINA - Education Minister Dustin Duncan has announced Planned Parenthood is suspended from all presentations in Saskatchewan schools related to health and wellness courses.
Outside his office at the legislature Thursday, Duncan told reporters that based on materials that had come to his attention that were part of a health and wellness class, he “will be directing Boards of Education administration to suspend for the time being the work in schools of Planned Parenthood as it relates to their involvement in health and wellness courses, as well as the material that they have produced, or their affiliated organizations have produced.”
Duncan also is directing the Ministry of Education to begin reviewing all their documents relating to resources and the curriculum related to health and wellness classes, to ensure they are age-appropriate. Duncan also told reporters he has asked the Ministry to begin a review of the process in which school divisions consult with parents, and ensure that parents are informed of health and wellness curriculum resources that are delivered in the classroom.
“That directive is being issued this afternoon,” said Duncan, who said the work will begin immediately.
As for what had transpired which led to this decision, Duncan told reporters it was his understanding that Planned Parenthood had been part of a Sex Ed presentation which focused on important issues around sexually transmitted infections, and contraception.
The issue had to do with the material that Planned Parenthood had left in the classroom for students to take if they wanted to. Duncan confirmed that the material consisted of a deck of cards that ran from A to Z, with every letter relating to a word related to sex. The words were then defined in graphic detail on the cards, which included explicit references to sexual and other acts.
Duncan was visibly uncomfortable as he described examples of what was on the cards to the media, which included graphic descriptions of oral sex.
“I think it gives you a sense that if I feel uncomfortable, saying that to the media, and it’s likely some of that won’t be broadcast because of the nature of it… is an indication that it doesn’t need to be in the classroom if those phrases won’t likely be broadcast tonight on the six o’clock news.”
He later confirmed the cards, which are known as “Sex from A to Z” cards, had been part of the presentation to a grade 9 classroom in Lumsden. Duncan made it known he did not support those being made available to school students.
“The material in question, certainly I believe as Minister of Education and frankly as a parent, is completely inappropriate to be in a classroom, has no part of being in the classroom. So we want to make sure that that material is not going to be a part of the resources that will be provided to students.”
Duncan said he first was made aware of the issue early that morning by a grandparent, and then subsequently received several phone calls on it. Duncan also said it started to spread on social media.
In fact, word of the Lumsden incident had already started to spread rapidly on social media the day before. Among those posting about the A-Z cards was frequent People’s Party and Buffalo Party political candidate Mark Friesen. On Facebook, he linked to a Western Standard story about the Sex from A to Z cards and stated “blow this up!”
Another prominent anti-mandates activist, Nadine Ness, also posted about the cards on Twitter. She stated she had gotten word the document was shared in a Grade 9 class in Lumsden by Planned Parenthood.
“If this is true, it’s horrifying!!” she posted.
In a later post, Ness stated that “a complaint was filed with the RCMP by at least one parent or more and they are investigating."
“I have spoken to parents personally. This happened and it should be condemned and investigated on how organizations like this one can come in and have access to our kids and teach anything that falls outside of the approved curriculum.”
There has also been a response posted on social media from a Planned Parenthood Regina official, who took issue with the government’s decision to suspend the organization.
On Twitter, Megan Moore, Manager of Educational and Community Partnerships, stated: “No one from the Ministry reached out to discuss this alleged incident, instead, they chose to take the word of radical bigots like Mark Fr*esen and M*xime B*ernier. As Co-Chair for PPR I welcome a conversation with Dustin about the direct harm that this decision will cause.”
