One important form of inclusion in school is having your experiences represented and reflected in what is taught to you in the curriculum, school environment, and beyond. This might include what you are asked to read for English class; the lessons you are taught in health classes about families, relationships, and sexual education; and the speakers, events, and student clubs you are exposed to through your school. This might also include books and other resources made available through your school library.
The Toronto District School Board policy explains why it is so important for students to be included in this way, with a special emphasis on trans students:
Examples of inclusive practices look like:
- English: reading books that show diverse families, relationships, and identities.
- Social Sciences: learning how gender roles differ across cultures and history.
- Science: discussing topics like intersex people.
- Languages: exploring how pronouns and gendered words work in French, Spanish, and other languages.
For examples of school board policies on inclusive curriculum, see the Resources section of this Guide.
An important judgment from the Supreme Court of Canada recognized that it’s unacceptable to exclude queer content from the school curriculum because some people consider it inappropriate. In that case, a teacher asked his school board to approve three books to be taught in the family life education curriculum. Because the books depicted families where both parents were of the same sex, the school board declined to approve them because some parents disapproved. When this was challenged in court, the court concluded that the school board’s decision was unreasonable because it violated the principles of tolerance and respect, and was based on exclusion. While some people said that teaching young children about queer relationships and families was not appropriate, the Chief Justice said that these books teach children tolerance, and “[t]olerance is always age appropriate.”
