Parental Groups Concerned Alberta’s Revised School Content Standards Allow Sexually Explicit Text

School library books are shown in a file photo. John Moore/Getty Images

Parental rights advocacy groups are raising concerns about Alberta’s updated standards for sexual content in school libraries, saying that while new restrictions on explicit sexual imagery are a step forward, the guidelines still allow students access to graphic written descriptions of sexual acts.

The province on Sept. 8 released its updated school library book selection guidelines, narrowing the focus to visual depictions of sexual acts and no longer applying the restrictions to written descriptions, as the previous guidelines did.

Tanya Gaw, founder of grassroots organization Action4Canada, says the absence of guidelines for sexually explicit written passages is a cause for concern.

“We thank Premier Danielle Smith for listening to concerned parents and removing materials with ‘explicit depictions of sexual acts,’” Gaw told The Epoch Times in a statement. “However, we are very concerned about the decision that it no longer places restrictions on written descriptions of those acts, which is problematic.

“Children, in kindergarten to grade 12, should never be exposed to graphic written details of sex acts; incest, molestation, masturbation, sexual assaults, and profane vulgar language.”

The province’s changes to the standards followed a compliance incident with Edmonton Public Schools, which late last month released a list of more than 200 books slated for removal, including classic titles such as Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World.”

Premier Danielle Smith described the move as “vicious compliance” and said the revised standards would keep “graphic pornographic images out of school libraries” while leaving “the classics on the shelves.”

The school board said in a Sept. 8 statement that it developed its initial list “in good faith” based on the initial rules that restricted both sexually explicit images and written passages.

‘Graphic Written Depictions’

Gaw cites Ellen Hopkins’ “Identical” as an example of a concerning title, a novel that includes a written scene of incest between a father and his daughter. The book is available in school divisions such as Edmonton Public Schools, which, at the time of writing, has 30 copies available, including in some K to 9 schools, according to its online library.

Another title flagged by Gaw is George M. Johnson’s “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” a memoir that includes explicit written descriptions of sex between two men. The book is available in school divisions in Calgary and Edmonton, with Edmonton Public Schools holding six copies by publication time, including in a K–12 school where it is classified as a textbook for English language arts.

When asked about its position on the availability of this content in school libraries, Edmonton Public Schools said the division’s practices are guided by principles such as the Canadian School Libraries framework. Canadian School Libraries, a non-profit charitable organization focused on research and development in the field of the school library learning commons, provides recommended book lists that include some related to diversity and sexual orientation.

“Division staff are currently working on a process for library books, which will align with the updated Ministerial Order,” Edmonton Public Schools’ spokesperson Kim Smith told The Epoch Times in a Sept. 10 statement, redirecting questions about the updated government order to Alberta’s ministry of education.

John Hilton-O’Brien, executive director of advocacy organization Parents for Choice in Education, shares Gaw’s concerns, saying that while his organization welcomes the province’s steps to address explicit visual content, “we remain concerned that graphic written depictions of sexual abuse, including incest, are still available in school libraries.”

“Until now, parents had little visibility into what was on the shelves,” Hilton-O’Brien told The Epoch Times in a statement. “The new Ministerial Order finally makes catalogs public, and what we see there is troubling.”

He added that the absence of regulations for written sexual depictions “still shifts the burden onto parents to clean up what should never have been purchased in the first place.”

Alberta’s Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said in a Sept. 11 statement to The Epoch Times that the new policy improves transparency for parents and that they can still raise concerns with schools or school boards about additional titles they may consider age-inappropriate.

“We have rolled out an updated policy that ensures classics remain on the shelf while images of masturbation, oral sex, child molestation, and sex toy use are removed,” the minister said, noting that the new order requires school boards to keep a publicly available list of literary materials and to inform parents about the content of classroom collections when students have access to them.

“We are always open to having additional conversations with school boards if other books are of concern,” he added. “Furthermore, any member of a school community can challenge a particular title and raise their concerns with the school and the related school board.”

Meanwhile, the Alberta Parents’ Union, a parental rights advocacy group, says it is not concerned about a “top-down Ministerial Order” not being able to address “all age-inappropriate” books, noting the group doesn’t expect the education minister to decide what books are suitable for children.

“Our concern is that parents are given the tools we need to address age-inappropriate books from the bottom-up,” Jeff Park, the group’s executive director, told The Epoch Times in a statement.

“We trust parents to be the real experts in their own kids, the best advocates for their own kids, and the best judges of what is age-appropriate for their own kids.”

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include comment from Alberta’s education minister.