Date: Thursday, April 2nd, 2026
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: PCN 2012
Co-Sponsored by: Department of Educational Studies, Teacher Education Office, The Robert Quartermain Centre for SOGI-Inclusive Excellence in Education
Description:
Several educational jurisdictions around the world have introduced opt-out provisions for sex education to accommodate some parents’ religious and moral convictions. The provision of such exemptions is often framed as a matter of respect for parental rights. This paper examines whether governments are legally obliged to provide exemptions or whether opt-out for sex education are better understood as discretionary accommodations. Drawing on international statutory law and a selective review of European and U.S. case law, the analysis shows that courts have generally rejected challenges to mandatory sex education based on respect for the parental right to educational oversight. Legal doctrine indicates that compulsory sex education does not infringe this right when instruction is objective, neutral, and educationally justified. The paper concludes by outlining implications for rights-respecting curriculum design and pedagogy.
Bio:
Bruce Maxwell is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Montreal. A former humanities teacher at the college level and ethicist by training, he teaches courses on education law, professional ethics, and the history of educational ideas. He has produced a number of written works on these topics including, most recently, the coauthored book Professional Ethics and Law in Education (Canadian Scholars Press, 2022) and, as editor, the six-volume series Foundations of Education (Bloomsbury, 2023).
RSVP link: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9AIHl62MdM2m7Ai
