Grade 8 students from the Waterloo Region District School Board were instructed to “unlearn” what their teacher described as “LIES!” about LGBT youth, including the belief that “parents have the right to know” if a child changes their gender identity.
Documents shared with True North reveal that Centennial Public School students are spending instructional time on lessons about power, identity, and privilege. These resources, which include political concepts common in far-left discourse, were used in place of traditional Grade 8 English instruction over several weeks during the 2024 school year.
The materials fall under a broader equity framework adopted by the board in recent years. They are designed around a learning model that asks students to “learn”, “unlearn”, and “relearn” in an exercise that can be described as propaganda.
Propaganda is information that is often biased, misleading, or emotionally charged and used to promote a specific political, ideological, or social agenda. The goal is to shape opinions, influence behaviour, or suppress opposing views.
In the 2SLGBTQ+ slide deck, students were first introduced to terminology such as “assigned sex,” “gender identity,” and nonstandard pronouns like “zi,” “xyrs,” “em,” and “hirs.” One slide described using such pronouns as a way of “validating that we all have the right to live our truth,” presenting this as a normative value.
Next, students were directed to unlearn what the material labelled as “myths,” including the belief that parents should be informed about changes in a student’s gender or sexuality. The final phase of the lesson included examples drawn from activist culture, such as the story of Jazz Jennings, who transitioned at the age of five.
A parent raised concerns with the teacher about the politicized nature of the content and asked why ideology was being taught in lieu of English. These concerns were elevated to the school principal, then to the superintendent, and finally to board-level staff. The responses were described as polite, but the parent felt that school officials dismissed the complaint.
The parent, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisal, shared the lesson materials with True North. “Taxes consume a significant portion of our income and limit our ability to choose alternative educational options,” they said. “Failing to teach English is troubling enough. But replacing it with what feels like divisive, ideological messaging is unacceptable. I do not consent to being forced to fund this. Parents should be demanding refunds.”
In another lesson titled “Identity: What Divides Us,” students completed a “privilege walk.” The exercise asked students to assess their relative advantage or disadvantage using a scale from -20 to +20, based on characteristics such as race, disability, income, sexual orientation, and family structure. Prompts included questions like whether the student had ever skipped a meal due to lack of money or whether their family owned more than one computer. Responses determined whether a student moved forward or backward on the privilege scale.
Statements such as “White privilege doesn’t exist” were identified in the slides as myths that students are expected to reject. There was no indication that alternate perspectives, or critical discussions were invited in the classroom setting.
The “Learn / Unlearn / Relearn” model appeared in multiple units. In each case, students were encouraged to discard prior beliefs and replace them with politicized far-left concepts. These included the wholesale adoption of theories like decolonization, environmental racism, and intersectionality. Some of the lessons presented Canada as illegitimate or colonial by nature, referring to the country as “Turtle Island” and omitting Canada Day from classroom recognition.
The materials reviewed fall under the board’s broader equity and inclusion strategy. They follow a consistent model: students are introduced to terms and concepts, asked to reject existing ideas or values, and guided toward a new perspective presented as correct. While the materials avoid explicitly naming a political ideology, the frameworks used are widely associated with far-left social justice activism.
Students were tasked with creating social media content, writing poems, and designing awareness posters in support of the themes taught. These assignments were delivered in place of traditional academic exercises in English and other subject areas.
All of this was delivered over several weeks during instructional time set aside for curriculum subjects. Ontario’s Ministry of Education has instructed school boards to incorporate equity principles across all disciplines, but it has not provided clear direction on how to ensure academic expectations continue to be met. It is also not evident how teachers are being trained to separate fact from ideology in these materials.
Candace Bender, the teacher responsible for the delivery of these lessons declined to comment. The school board also declined to comment on whether the lessons align with Ministry policy or whether changes are being considered.
If you have information about ideological or inappropriate materials in schools, please get in touch via email at melanie.bennet@truenorthwire.com