For Ontario students, the last month has been especially busy and transitional. After a summer in turmoil, Premier Doug Ford's provincial government has kept their campaign promise to repeal the sex-ed curriculum. Students in elementary schools across the province will be taught the sex-ed curriculum created in 1998, before students in Grades 1 to 8 were even a twinkle in their parents' eye.

This two-decades-old curriculum doesn't include any mention of consent, gender identity, same-sex marriage or online safety. These topics are critical to comprehensive sexuality education, the social and cultural realities that kids and youth face, and the evolving norms of society (same-sex marriage was legalized in 2003!).

In the last few months, the premier has threatened to discipline educators who refuse to use the 20-year-old curriculum, and the government has launched a "snitch line" for parents to anonymously lodge complaints against their children's teachers. Three human rights complaints have been filed, one from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, one from the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, and most recently one from the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Other cases have been launched at the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal on behalf of families and LGBTQ+ students.

Now the public consultations are getting underway. The most recent government update shows that the public will be able to share their thoughts via an open submission, an upcoming survey and telephone town halls held across the province.

But wait a moment... where are the youth voices? Read more via Huffington Post