Government

— of —

Saskatchewan

Minister of Education

Dear Board Chairs:
The safety and well-being of students and parent involvement in their child's education is of the
upmost importance for everyone involved with the education sector in our province.
Per section 4.02 of the Education Act, 1995, “[tlhe minister may .. give a written directive to a
board of education or the conseil scolaire to take any action that the minister considers
necessary in relation to the operations of the board of education or the conseil scolaire.” In
addition, * .. a minister's written directive may require a board of education or the conseil
scolaire... ¢) to coordinate the activities that t undertakes with any other person or
organization engaged in elementary or secondary education.”
As previously communicated, | have directed the Ministry of Education to review Heath
Education curriculum and relevant ministry approved or recommended resources to ensure
alignment with the intent of the curriculum outcomes, as well as age and overall
appropriateness for use in a school setting. This directive i in place while the ministry
completes this review.
Anew policy effective today will require parental consent when students under 16 years old
wish to change their pronouns and/or preferred first name. The policy is intended to support
students and parents and recognizes the important role that parents and guardians have in
protecting and supporting their children as they grow and develop.
Teachers shall inform parents about instruction of sexual health (commencement/completion
dates, objectives, scope and sequence of content, resources, and activities) and give them the
opportunity to ask questions, get clarification, and express concerns. Parents shall be given the
opportunity to opt out of all or part of the Human Sexuality unit. The withdrawal shall be
expressed in writing. Respect of all students’ personal and family beliefs regarding family life
and human sexuality will be the foremost objective. The primary response to a student who
raises a controversial issue will be to refer that student to family to clarify personal and family
beliefs. Further counsel offered to a student will be considered only with expressed, written
parental/guardian consent.


Government
of
Saskatchewan
Minster of Education
Lite dng
Rega Cra 5508
Ihave also directed the Ministry of Education to update the Deepening the Discussion
document and to include clear direction regarding the involvement of third-party organizations.
in supporting school divisions and teachers with delivering instruction related to sexual health
outcomes in the curriculum. To further support this direction and give time to complete the
review, Boards of Education and their administration are directed to immediately cease
involvement with any third-party organization connected to Sexual Health Education, including
the ARC Foundation which provides the SOG 1 2 3 Program. Of note, this does not include
health care professionals employed by government ministries or the Saskatchewan Health
Authority.
Sincegely,
ustinbuncan
cc: Clint Repski, Deputy Minister of Education