SUBJECT: School Board Health Education Partnership

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The WECHU CHP Program has launched a multi-year project with the Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) to strengthen educator capacity to teach human development and sexual health, and to support parents and caregivers to talk with their children about these important topics. This initiative responds to an identified need among schoolboard educators, as well as increasing rates of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) and gender-based violence (GBV) locally and nationally. It also aims to improve youth access to accurate, evidenced-based information from trusted adults amid growing health misinformation. 

Each year, the WECHU receives a high volume of requests from educators seeking resources, assistance with lesson delivery, or supplemental presentations related to human development and sexual health. Between January 2022 and May 2025, more than 500 school requests were submitted for topics such as healthy relationships, consent, bullying/cyberbullying, STBBI prevention, contraception, puberty, personal hygiene, and anatomy. Many educators report limited comfort, confidence, or experience in teaching sensitive topics such as menstruation, STBBIs and birth control, and gender or sexual diversity. Research also identifies a need to strengthen Ontario sexual health education curriculum and educator supports to deliver comprehensive and consistent lessons¹.

Local STBBI trends also underscore the need for enhanced sexual health education. In 2025, chlamydia, gonorrhea, infectious syphilis, and hepatitis C accounted for 89.8% of all reported STBBI cases in WEC.From 2021–2025, 15% of all chlamydia cases occurred among youth aged 10–19, 71% of whom were female; 5.13% of gonorrhea cases occurred in the same age group. Infectious syphilis rates continue to rise rapidly nationally, provincially, and locally. In WEC, rates increased by 310% from 2018 to 2025, and in 2025 the local rate exceeded the provincial rate (24.2 vs. 11.55 per 100,000). The most reported risk factor across these infections was not using condoms—a modifiable behaviour².

Rates of GBV among Canadian teens have also increased by 33% since 2015. Reasons include the spread of harmful gender and relationship norms and victim-blaming, lack of awareness of unhealthy relationship signs, lack of healthy relationship skills, poor mental health, and exposure to intimate partner violence at home. Rates of sexual violence against teen girls are disproportionately high. In 2022, police-reported dating violence rates were nine times higher for teenage girls in Canada than boys. Overall, 45% of Canadian teens report experiencing dating violence since age 15, with youth aged 15-17 experiencing the highest rates of sexual violence in dating relationships compared to other age groups³.

Students who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ are also at higher risk for GBV. In a recent GECDSB student census, about 20% of students identified as 2SLGBTQIA+. These students reported significantly higher rates of verbal, social, electronic, and physical bullying compared to other students. They reported being bullied due to being outed as 2SLGBTQIA+ (33%), gender expression (35%) and appearance (43%)⁴.

DISCUSSION

The WECHU currently provides all schools in Windsor-Essex with access to a comprehensive set of human development and sexual health resources. These resources are available at any time from the Healthy Schools webpage, and are promoted regularly through email or digital newsletter communications as well as direct school promotions.

To further increase educator comfort to teach human development and sexual health topics, the WECHU conducted a review of existing board level materials to identify opportunities for enhancement. In collaboration with the GECDSB, it was agreed that educators would benefit from enhancing the current PowerPoint presentations, specifically through strengthened visual components, demonstrative examples, recommended speaking notes, and class discussion prompts. 

The WECHU is currently focusing on the grade 6, 7 and 8 materials, with work on the grade 8 material now complete. The reception by the GECDSB of the first enhancements was extremely favourable, and the WECHU has been asked to expand this support to all primary grades. To develop the presentation enhancements, health-teaching and health promotion principles are being applied, as well as consideration of common student questions identified through WECHU staff experience and existing literature. The WECHU 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth Advisory Committee is also being consulted. Members have provided meaningful recommendations to improve understanding of diverse genders and sexuality to reduce stigma and harmful gender norms.

Most Ontario parents believe sexual health education should be taught in elementary school and should cover broad topics like puberty, healthy relationships, sexual orientation, and other up-to-date curriculum (Katelin, 2022). To support parent knowledge and conversations at home, the WECHU has also developed a comprehensive webpage for parents and families of youth of all ages. A promotional insert for this webpage is now included in the Ministry of Education mandated letters of instruction that are sent home.

The WECHU, in collaboration with the GECDSB, will conduct ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of the enhanced human development and sexual health materials. The WECHU has also offered to provide educator webinars or in-service sessions to introduce the material and answer questions. Similar supports for parents and caregivers will also be explored.

1. Katelin, A. (2022). "All I do is present what is given to us as the facts": Progressive sex education and the reproduction of inequality in public school classrooms. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality; 31(1).
2. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit [WECHU]. (2026). Infectious Diseases Data Dashboards. Retrieved from https://www.wechu.org/reports/infectious_diseases
3. Sutton, D. & Burczycka, M. (2024). Dating violence against teens aged 15 to 17 in Canada, 2009 to 2022. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2024001/article/00004-eng.htm
4. Greater Essex County District School Board [GECDSB]. (2024). 2023-2024 Student Census Portraits. Retrieved from https://www.publicboard.ca/en/about-gecdsb/2023-2024-student-census-portrait.aspx