Children enrolling in an Ottawa school district will now be asked to provide their “sexual orientation” and gender identities when enrolling in Kindergarten. The requirement is a part of a study aimed at “understanding diversity.”
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has implemented the policy, bringing it into effect on November 26 for all students, Kindergarten and up. It has not apparently crossed their minds that pre-pubescent children are not “sexually oriented” at all.
The school district said, “Data will be gathered from all students attending OCDSB schools, with parents completing surveys for students in junior kindergarten to Grade 6, while students in Grades 7 to 12 will fill out surveys themselves.”
The survey idea began when black parents asked the school district to obtain such information to determine prejudiced-based challenges in the district.
Jacqueline Lawrence, the school board’s diversity and equality coordinator, said, “If we don’t understand the specific types of support that students need, then we’ll not be able to fully ensure that they leave with a sense of … academic success, as well as a sense of well-being.”
