Growth & Development

All publicly-funded public and separate schools in Alberta are mandated to teach the Physical Education and Wellness curriculum developed by Alberta Education. As part of this required curriculum, Alberta Education has included learning outcomes related to growth and development that deal primarily and explicitly with human sexuality. In our Catholic schools, these curricular outcomes are taught through a Catholic worldview.

As per recently updated government legislation, which is outlined in section 58.11 of the Education Act, school divisions are required to obtain opt-in or opt-out consent from parents/guardians for their child to learn the parts of the government-mandated Physical Education & Wellness and Health curriculums that deal explicitly with human sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

As the primary educators of their children, we recognize the importance of ensuring that parents/guardians can make informed decisions regarding their child’s educational journey. As such, this website seeks to provide parents/guardians with a detailed overview of the lesson resources that teachers will use when instructing the aspects of Alberta Education’s growth and development curriculum that relate to human sexuality. As a school division, we have developed these lessons and resources using source material that was created and endorsed for use in Catholic classrooms by the Alberta Catholic Education Resource Advisory Committee with representation from the Catholic Bishops of Alberta, Alberta Catholic School Trustees Association (ACSTA) and the Council of Catholic School Superintendents of Alberta (CCSSA). 

In line with the aforementioned policies, parents/guardians will receive a notification letter from their child’s teacher at least one month prior to the instruction of these lessons. This letter will outline the steps a parent/guardian must take to opt their child(ren) out from instruction related to these curricular outcomes. Typically, instruction of this component of the Physical Education & Wellness curriculum takes place in the second half of the school year.