A majority of Canadians believe that schools should be obliged to inform parents and guardians that their child wants to switch genders.
According to a recent Leger poll commissioned by SecondStreet.org, 57% of Canadians agree that schools have the duty to inform parents about a child’s desire to change their gender or pronouns.
In comparison, only 18% of people polled believe that schools should not be required to inform parents or guardians. Another 25% of people responded that they didn’t know.
Additionally, nearly half (47%) of Canadian voters said that schools should be making teaching materials on race and gender available to review for parents ahead of time before they are introduced in the classroom.
When asked the same question, 31% said they do not believe it should be a requirement and 22% said they do not know.
In a press release, SecondStreet.org President Colin Craig said that trends should convince governments to change gears when it comes to the direction of education.
“The number of Canadians who think the system is going in the wrong direction has jumped significantly over the last couple years,” said Craig.
“Governments would be wise to examine what’s driving this change and consider alternative options to support parents, including options outside of the public school system.”
When Canadians were asked whether public education was heading in the right direction, 51% of those polled said that the schooling system was heading in the wrong direction.
On the other hand, only 25% of respondents agreed that it was deaded in the right direction, about the same number as the 24% who did not know how to respond.
Several school boards in Canada have introduced policies which require teachers and staff to not inform parents about students undergoing a gender transition unless requested to do so.
A guide released by the Renfrew County District School Board last year instructs teachers to hide the gender identity of kids from parents and guardians regardless of age if requested.
“Regardless of age or grade, staff must keep a student’s gender identity and gender expression status confidential unless the student gives explicit consent to inform the parent(s)/guardian(s), or there is a specific ‘need to know’ (e.g., to fulfill a specific accommodation request),” wrote staff.
