Human sexuality education

 Date April 28, 2023

Dear Parent/Guardian:

RE: School Act | Section 58.1 | Course Components Notice and Exemption

Health and Life Skills | Grade 4 to 6

On September 1st, 2019, Section 58.1 of the Education Act replaced Section 50.1 of the School Act. The Calgary Board of Education is still required to provide parents with notice "where courses of study, educational programs or instructional materials, or instruction or exercises…include subject matter that deals primarily and explicitly with religion and human sexuality."

Your child is currently enrolled in the Alberta Education Health and Life Skills Program of Study in grades four to six. The program aims to enable students to make well informed, healthy choices and to develop behaviours that contribute to the wellbeing of self and others. Three General Outcomes serve as the foundation for Health skills. They include wellness choices, relationship choices and life-long learning choices.

Human sexuality education is offered in grade four, five and six as a mandatory component of the Program of Study and is contained in the following learning outcomes:

Grade 5: Students connect puberty to the capacity for human reproduction.

Grade 6: Students investigate human reproduction from fertilization to birth.

For more specific information about these learning outcomes, parents may wish to go to https://curriculum.learnalberta.ca/curriculum/en/c/pde6

Instruction involving the subject matter is expected to be provided commencing the week of: May 1st 2023. Curriculum for grade 6 students will be delivered only to the grade 6 students and grade 5 will not be present for those lessons.

Pursuant to Section 58.1(2) of the Education Act, you as a parent/guardian may request that your child be excluded from the above-identified instruction, without academic penalty, by having your child either:

a | leave the classroom or place where the instruction is taking place or where the instructional material is being used for the duration of that part of the instruction; or

b | remain in the classroom or place where the instruction is taking place without taking part in the instruction or use of the instructional material.

Sign and return the attached student Exemption Form, or otherwise indicate in writing, to your child's teacher on or before the Commencement Date of the instruction that you wish to exercise your right to exclude your child by one of the means indicated above.

If your child's teacher does not receive this form prior to the Commencement date, your child will be included in the instruction.

If you would like additional information about the content of this notification, please contact the teacher at 403 777 6871.

 Sincerely

Paige Adamson

Teacher, Grades 5 and 6

t | 403-777 - 6871

f | 403-777-6872

paadamson@cbe.ab.ca

Health and Life Skills Grade 4, 5, 6

In response to the Notice provided to me by the Calgary Board of Education indicating that the Grade 4,5,6 Health and Life Skills Program of Study in which my child is enrolled, includes subject matter that deals primarily and explicitly with human sexuality, I hereby request, in accordance with section 58.1(2) of the Education Act, that my child be excluded from the instruction, the exercise or the use of instructional material identified in the notice.

I request that my child: (check relevant box)

☐ a | Leave the classroom or place where the instruction is taking place or where the instructional material is being used for the duration of that part of the instruction.

OR

☐ b | Remain in the classroom or place where the instruction is taking place without taking part in the instruction or use of the instructional material.

I confirm that I am the legal guardian of the student named below and have chosen to exercise my right to have my child excluded from the instruction described in the parent/guardian Notice from the Commencement Date and the following dates indicated in the Notice. I also confirm that it is my obligation to ensure that this form is returned to the teacher on or before the Commencement Date of the instruction indicated in the notice.

Parent/Legal Guardian Signature Date

Print Parent/Legal Guardian Name Print Student Name

All personal information contained herein is collected by The Calgary Board of Education to fulfill the purpose set out above, is done so pursuant to section 33(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Alberta) (FOIP Act), and is used under the authority of section 39(1)(a) of the FOIP Act.