Citizen groups are voicing their approval for parent-friendly education policies in Saskatchewan, claiming them to be the direct impact of their advocacy..On August 22, the Saskatchewan government announced that boards of education must immediately pause involvement with any third-party organization, such as the ARC Foundation and the SOGI 123 Program, connected to sexual health education. They also announced that parents and guardians must be informed about the sexual health education curriculum and have the option to decline their children’s participation. Also, schools must seek parental or guardian permission when changing preferred names and pronouns for students under 16..Tanya Gaw, leader of Action4Canada, told the Western Standard the policies were an “amazing win” and “a direct result” of her organization’s local chapter leaders “who have been tirelessly working to overturn this.” Action4Canada sent letters, petitions, and notices of liability on the issue..“The threat of personal liability to good people like [then-education minister] Dustin Duncan offers him the opportunity to have a way to opt out and minimize the backlash from the radical mob. It also provides them a legal and legitimate position to take, which assists them in dealing with the LGBTQ activists and NGOs,” Gaw said..“I wrote additional letters advising them that they had a fiduciary obligation to investigate the SOGI learning resource before implementing it and to start by investigating the measurable harms to children and families in BC and Alberta as well as the Wynne Sex Ed in Ontario. It came with a firm warning that they could be held personally liable for any harm that came to a child–especially since we have evidence that they have been duly warned and advised.”.Nadine Ness, founder of Unified Grassroots, also welcomed the policy changes. In a live video posted to Facebook on August 22, Ness said some school divisions had explicitly different policies before the announcement..“Prairie Spirit School Division was one of them where a child could transition, could start using different pronouns, different names in the school, and the parents didn't even get notified unless that child decided that they wanted that parent notified,” she said..“They're basically taking the same kind of route as Premier Higgs in New Brunswick. So this is a huge, huge win for parents and for kids, because now parents will be able to be notified if their child is struggling, and if their child's having mental health issues, or even just being able to support them knowing that their child has that kind of struggle.”.Ness said the about face on approving SOGI 123 materials was the “biggest win.” She expected the plans would have been used in Prairie Spirit School Division and Saskatoon School Division. She is also glad parents have less reason to feel excluded..“This is one of the number one concerns that I hear from parents all the time…really being concerned just to their whole involvement in their child's education kind of being taken away when it comes to this type of education,” Ness said..“This is a huge win, and I'm excited that the government has decided to actually take this seriously and listen to the people in the province.”.Gaw said she was thankful for Ness’ use of A4C resources and their promotion..“We are thankful that Nadine also shared our resources and encouraged people to use them,” she said..“Other people have finally woken up and we are very grateful that they are speaking out and gaining platforms.”.Gaw said there is a “massive agenda to sexualize our children at the earliest [time] possible.”
