TODAY: York U hosts panel discussion on sex education in school curriculum

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TORONTO, April 4, 2016 – One year after the introduction of a controversial health and physical education curriculum in Ontario public schools, York University has organized an event to discuss how the curriculum has been incorporated into teaching.

The panel discussion, Lessons from the field: sex education goes to school, is organized by the Graduate Program in the Faculty of Education.

Teachers from Toronto, Peel and York Region school boards will take part in today’s panel discussion to talk about the ways they have used the new curriculum in their teaching, according to lead organizer Professor Jennifer Gilbert.

Structured in a Q&A format, the participating teachers will talk about incorporating some of the new topics such as gender identity, bullying, and sexting into the curriculum, as well as discussing controversial issues in the classroom.

Visiting Australian university health researchers Mary Lou Rasmussen and Deana Leahy, who have written on similar controversies, will be on hand to answer questions on dealing with controversial topics as teachers.

WHAT:             Lessons from the field: sex education goes to school

WHERE:          Room FC 305, Founders College Senior Common Room, York University, Keele Campus (building number 50 on map)

WHEN:             Monday, April 4, 2016, 5pm-7pm

NOTE: Professor Jennifer Gilbert, lead organizer and author of Sexuality in Schools: The Limits of Education, is available for media interviews.

York University is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our 52,000 students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 24 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide.


Media Contact:
Gloria Suhasini, York University Media Relations, 416 736 2100 ext. 22094, suhasini@yorku.ca