CBE has let their students down and failed them. A lot of the Calgary school’s such as Western Canadian High School, Central Memorial High School and many others had walk outs to protest and hold CBE accountable for their inaction regarding sexual assault allegations. Many students made it clear that they are not safe or do not feel safe at school. Many students have tried to reach out and get help and have been answered with ignorance and little to no support. This is not only an issue in Calgary, it it’s all over Alberta as well. 

Making Consent clearly and prominently outlined and mandatory to teach in the curriculum would be a huge step in the right direction. In school it is mandatory for students to participate in lockdowns and fire drills in order to protect students and keep them safe. Just like lockdowns sexual assault will most likely leave students and people in general traumatized. Learning about consent is something that is crucial to keep students safe, so why is it not in the curriculum?

In the last week many student’s voices have been heard on this matter. CBE put out a statement responding to the student concerns. In the statement CBE said there are curricular outcomes related to consent in health and CALM courses. Even with that said consent is never directly mentioned in the curriculum. Consent is usually missed or skipped over by most teachers.

Making sure students are taught about consent from a trained professional that specializes in sexual education could have a huge impact on students not being or feeling safe at school. Consent is something that everyone uses on a daily basis, it is the act of asking and giving permission. Consent is not just sexual, it is about body, space and contact/touch. It can be something as simple as that. It can be taught to someone at any age, but it needs to be expanded on as students get older. 

No student should be or feel unsafe at school, it is unacceptable. Teachers and profesionales of any sort need to make sure students, but especially young students are aware that they can say no. Students and kids in general hear about sex at a young age, and how their body works. They usually get this information from people that are not reliable and from sources that don’t offer correct information. Since they are not hearing correct information, they will most likely not learn about consent. Sexual harassment, such as cat calling need to be talked about. Before highschool students should be taught and made aware of sexual assault. Even though most victims of any type of sexual assault are women and most predators are men, it needs to be clear that sexual assault effects everyone. 

Rape culture is a big source of students not feeling safe, and not enough is done to stop it. Schools need to make sure they are giving students reliable resources and support. Health and CALM courses do not offer enough resources and information about sexual health and wellness. There are so many topics in health and CALM, since that is the case it does not leave enough time for a topic as important as this to be covered. Teachers need to be trained properly, consent can come up in classes such as english, social and other classes. Professional sexual health and wellness educators need to be brought in, to teach students, answer their questions and so they can get proper resources. 

 Giving students a proper sexual health and wellness education would make students more comfortable, confident and increase safety. In the curriculum it should be stated that consent is verbal. How alcohol and drugs affect consent must be taught. Lower chances of sexual abuse and assault can result in lower suicide, drop out rate and overall mental illness and distress. There is about a 66% higher dropout rate for students who have experienced sexual assault or abuse. Students need to be educated on the impact pressure has on consent. Students must be shown what unhealthy and healthy anxiety and stress regarding sexual activity look like. 

With this said, consent should be clearly and prominently stated in the curriculum.