Ontario sex ed curriculum protested by hundreds at Northwood school

Several hundred people are at Northwood public elementary school, protesting Ontario's new sex education curriculum.

• Ontario sex ed curriculum: 5 things to know
• Ontario's new sex ed curriculum 'the most up-to-date' in the country

The parents on site are primarily from the Muslim faith, and have taken their children out of school for the week.

They aren't alone, parents who have kids in the Windsor-Essex Catholic School Board also pulled their kids out of school this week.

Parents say that the sex ed curriculum that is set to be introduced in the fall is not appropriate, not age-appropriate and does not conform with their religious views.

"We're not against the school or teachers. We know how to teach our kids about sex. Why break the innocence in the child? We are the parents. We know what's good for the kids," Bassim Alhamadwi said.

The parents at Northwood school say they plan to protest at the Greater Essex District School Board offices Wednesday.

"This is stuff for grown adults. We're not against sex, or against gays or lesbians, but we're against this situation, this sex education. It's too early," Salah Alnassiri said.

During protests in Toronto on Monday, Education Minister Liz Sandals said she's disappointed that some parents have pulled their kids out of school, but vowed the curriculum would be in place by September.

Ontario hadn't previously updated the curriculum since 1998 and argues that the changes are necessary to bring sexual education in line with other provinces.

By teaching concepts around sexual orientation and gender identity at an early age, it joins the ranks of Quebec, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. At least four other provinces choose to tackle the issue in Grade 6 or beyond.

Roxanne Canniff joined the protest. Her kids attend Maranatha Christian Academy a few blocks away. Canniff has an issue with the gender identification section of the new curriculum. She said it creates "mass confusion" and described some options as "not even human options."

Concepts like consent, contraception, prevention of sexually transmitted infections and online safety appear on nearly every provincial curriculum. Some provinces begin teaching these concepts as early as kindergarten.

Students will also learn about online bullying and the dangers of sharing sexually explicit images electronically.

Parents have the right to withdraw their kids from all or part of the new curriculum if they're uncomfortable with its content.

Neither local board knew how many parents kept kids home Monday.