Exemptions Overview

Exemptions to the Fully Alive Family Life Program – Theme Three (Created Sexual:  Male and Female)

The Fully Alive Family Life Program, sponsored and developed with the approval of the Catholic Bishops of Ontario, in collaboration with educators and families, ensures that the human development and sexual health expectations of The Ontario Curriculum:  Health and Physical Education, Grades 1-8, 2019 is consistent with our Catholic teachings, appropriate within the context of our Catholic classrooms, and complementary to the efforts of parents to guide their children to full Christian maturity.  

The expectations of the Health and Physical Education curriculum related to the human development and sexual health topics are addressed through the Fully Alive Family Life Program, most specifically in Theme Three – Created Sexual:  Male and Female.

Parents and guardians are the primary educators of their children and as such, they may choose to withdraw their children from Fully Alive Theme Three:  Created Sexual:  Male and Female (ALL LESSONS) upon written request to the school principal, as per the procedure (taken from PPM 162 – Exemption from Instruction related to the Human Development and Sexual Health Expectations in The Ontario Curriculum:  Health and Physical Education, Grades 1-8, 2019) that follows.

 A) Notice and Communication
At the beginning of each school year, the school will make parents/guardians aware of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario Fully Alive Online Family Resource (www.iceont.ca) which provides full information about the Fully Alive Family Life Program.

Upon written request, arrangements will be made for those parents/guardians without access to these digital resources to be provided, by the school principal, a print copy of the required resources.

Schools will notify parents twenty (20) school days in advance of the teaching of the Fully Alive Theme Three – Created Sexual:  Male and Female (start and end dates) and will inform parents that they can choose to have their child exempted from the lessons in Theme Three by completing and returning the “Exemption from Instruction in Fully Alive Theme Three – Created Sexual:  Male and Female lessons” form for each child within five (5) days school days of the period of instruction

In case of an unforeseen event that impairs the school’s ability to administer the period of instruction as indicated, schools have the authority to move the period of instruction to a later date and give notice of the change of the period of instruction as soon as reasonably possible.

Students will be exempt from the Fully Alive Theme Three – Created Sexual:  Male and Female instruction without academic penalty when a “Exemption from Instruction in Fully Alive Theme Three – Created Sexual:  Male and Female lessons” form for each child is signed by the parent/guardian and returned within five (5) school days of the period of instruction

The school will give acknowledgement of the exemption form via letter by the school principal within two (2) school days of the start of the Fully Alive Theme Three – Created Sexual:  Male and Female lessons

School principals will make the final decision about whether to accept or reject a request that does not fall within the paraments of the memorandum (e.g., exemption form returned after submission date or during period of instruction, form not signed by parent/guardian).

 C) Supervision of Exempted Students
Parents/guardians will be given the choice of how their exempted child will be supervised during the exemption period.  Parents/guardians must choose ONE of the following options for their child and indicate it on the “Exemption from Instruction in Fully Alive Theme Three – Created Sexual:  Male and Female lessons” form:

• To remain in the classroom during Human Development and Sexual Health instruction and be assigned work/activities by the teacher unrelated to Human Development and Sexual Health; OR
• To leave the classroom and remain in the school under supervision. Activities are under the discretion of the teacher or principal.  Supervision of the student will be determined by the school according to the board policy/procedure; OR
• To be released into the care of the parent or parent’s approved designate.