MELFORT — The North East School Division will follow a new policy from the provincial government that requires parents' consent when students under the age of 16 change their preferred names or pronouns.
The new policy also requires that parents be informed on sexual education curriculum, with the option to decline their child's participation.
“We appreciate the opportunities afforded by the [education] minister's announcement that promote an increase in open dialogue with our families around working together to support our students as they navigate through the complexities of adolescence,” said Stacy Lair, the North East School Division's director of education.
“Our administrative policy to consult with parents regarding family life and human sexuality is in line with the Minister's request.
"Regarding the consent of name changes, we believe trusting relationships with students do not come at the cost of infringing on the trust of parents. Our goal is and has been to support students together with parents.”
Lair said that to support teacher understanding of learning goals and what is expected for students to demonstrate proficiency, every time the education ministry approves to new curriculum, North East teachers to take time to do a deep dive into understand the content, developing ways to teach it and assess how students learn it.
“We are proud of the work our North East teachers have invested and we share the resulting resources with teachers across the province.”
The Horizon School Division chose to not comment on the province's new policy.
