Edmonton Catholic School Trustee Wants Reporting of Sexual Abuse Added to Alberta Curriculum
By Janet French
School children should learn in every grade how to prevent and report sexual abuse and assault, says the board chairwoman of Edmonton Catholic Schools. The Catholic school board voted 6-1 Tuesday to push the Alberta government to include in its revamp of the K-12 curriculum annual lessons to empower children against sexual abuse. “(Perpetrators) say, ‘This is our secret,’ and they scare the children, and they intimidate them, and the children don’t have the capacity to know what to do, who to talk to, who to trust,” board chair Marilyn Bergstra said. Some public schools in the U.S. are required to teach sexual assault prevention thanks to Erin’s Law. The law is named for sexual assault survivor Erin Merryn, who pushed for states to pass the law requiring school districts to teach children to “tell on anyone who tries to touch their private parts.” Twenty-six states have passed the law, and it’s pending in 17 more. One third of girls and one in every six boys are sexually abused by the time they are 18, according to the Edmonton Zebra Child Protection Centre, which works to help children and youth disclose abuse. A 2013 University of Alberta study found 95 per cent of sexual abuse is never reported to authorities, trustee Patricia Grell said. The study’s authors recommend better training for adults on how to recognize potential signs children are being abused. “I think it would be very helpful to have this in our curriculum, and to have (professional development) for our teachers as well, so they know best how to handle children coming to them describing experiences of child abuse,” Grell said. The effects of sexual abuse can be devastating, potentially leading to mental illnesses and addiction, poor school performance, and a higher likelihood of dropping out of school, Bergstra said. Larry Kowalczyk was the lone trustee to oppose the move, saying he thinks the issue should first go before the Alberta Catholic School Trustees Association. “We are just leaving ourselves open to the point of view of whoever writes this curriculum up,” he said. The proposal is advocating for sex assault prevention, not sex education, trustee Cindy Olsen said as she supported the motion. “This is truly an epidemic,” Bergstra said of sexual abuse. “I do not believe this is a religious issue. This is something that crosses all socioeconomic issues. All cultures. All faiths … We decide together we help empower kids, or we delay helping empower kids.” Last week, Education Minister David Eggen announced a sweeping K-12 curriculum review that will revamp all subject areas in English and French in the next six years. Updating Alberta’s outdated programs of studies will include weaving in themes that cross between subject areas, and add lessons on climate change; First Nations, Metis, Inuit and francophone history; and sexual education. The Zebra centre would also like to see sex-assault prevention be ubiquitous in schools, said Sam Dover, director of community education and engagement. The centre served 1,314 children last year who had reported a sexual assault, she said. It’s crucial children understand there are adults who will believe them when they disclose abuse, she said. Contact: jfrench@postmedia.com
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