4 days ago
Demetrios Nicolaides: Setting the record straight on Alberta's school library standards
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) wrote an op-ed that has completely mischaracterized the new school library book policy recently announced. They have labelled these policies that are intended to ensure young students are not exposed to explicit sexual content as a 'book ban.' This is a blatant and deliberate misrepresentation of the standards.
This was never about banning books; the government has no will, want or ability to ban books. This policy is about ensuring young students are not exposed to graphic sexual content in a school library book. Full stop.
Before I dive deeper into the false narratives being pushed by the CCLA, I want to set the record straight that books containing information and images regarding puberty, breast development, menstruation and other important biological information will not be restricted for any students, contrary to incorrect reporting from numerous news outlets.
The CCLA has stated that critically acclaimed books like George Orwell's 1984 and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale will be banned from all school libraries— a completely false and shockingly deceptive claim from an organization that claims to be committed to integrity.
When I was asked during a press conference about this policy having unintended consequences on books such as the aforementioned, I made it clear that this is not the spirit, intent or wording of the policy. If a book contains images or passages that have explicit sexual content such as acts like masturbation, penetration, ejaculation, or the use of artificial sex organs, it will not be permitted in school libraires. I, along with parents, educators and Albertans, agree that these images should not be available to students, and we will not bend to falsified statements concocted by the CCLA, an organization that seems hellbent on defending these graphic images being available for young students.
The CCLA has also claimed that the definitions in the standards are subjective, particularly in how 'explicit sexual content' is defined. This is simply not the case. The policy lays out clear definitions of both 'explicit' and 'non-explicit' sexual content. Materials with non-explicit sexual content may be accessible to students in Grade 10 and above, if age-appropriate. Materials selected and used by a teacher to support curricular outcomes are not affected by the standards.
For example, students will learn about consent (outside a of a sexual context) in Grade 4, which provides the foundation to understand consent in a sexual nature when students are of an age to discuss that topic. We trust the teachers and educators in our school system to teach a well-rounded, age-appropriate sex-ed curriculum. The government's role is to set the standards; it is up to school boards to apply them.
I also want to address the narratives regarding how these changes are apparently targeting the LGBTQ community. As LGBTQ advocate Blaine Badiuk put it, 'books with LGBTQ themes absolutely have a place in school libraries, as long as they do not contain explicit sexual content. To suggest that LGBTQ representation must include sexual content is a disservice to the community and it reinforces the harmful stereotypes that LGBTQ identities are inherently sexual.' I fully agree with Blaine. Students should be curious, inquisitive and, exploratory about themselves and the world around them without being exposed to sexual content.
The CCLA has concealed the true intent of the policy by generating fictional realities. Their blatant spin on the standards has created confusion around a balanced policy that protects students from explicit sexual content. The CCLA believes that their actions are based in virtue and the common good, when in fact their actions have culminated into a massive disservice to the public.
I'd like to ask the CCLA: Do they, in fact, support allowing explicit sexual content in school libraries? Would they be willing to post the graphic images we found in school libraries on their website, and explain to their readers why they think they should be available to students?
And a final question to Albertans: If the media has to censor the images we found in school libraries in order to show them on the five o'clock news, why would they ever be appropriate for young students in a school library book?
Demetrios Nicolaides is Alberta minister of Education and Childcare.
