Toronto District School Board
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Revised Health and Physical Education Curriculum

On August 21, 2019, the Ministry of Education released the Health and Physical Education (HPE) Curriculum for Grades 1-8. School boards are required to implement the curriculum for the 2019-20 school year.

The TDSB is committed to the success and safety of every student and it is important that what we teach in our schools is current, relevant and age-appropriate. Our goal is to provide students with the best possible information to make informed decisions about their health and well-being, while ensuring that the curriculum we teach is inclusive of our diverse student population and reflective of the Board’s longstanding commitment to equity and inclusion. 

The Health and Physical Education curriculum continues to emphasize the importance of physical and health literacy for students, with an additional learning strand devoted to social-emotional learning skills. Safety, including physical and emotional safety, is a major theme throughout the curriculum as well. Students will learn about current issues such as cannabis, prescription and non-prescription drugs, signs and symptoms of concussions, cyber safety including bullying prevention and digital privacy as well as reducing the stigmatization of mental health.

Related to the Health and Physical Education Curriculum, Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM) 162 allows for students to be exempted, at the request of their parent/guardian, from the Human Development and Sexual Health expectations found in strand D of the curriculum (Grades 1-8) without academic penalty. The TDSB will be working to develop a procedure and associated exemption form by the Ministry’s deadline of November 30, 2019. More information will be provided to parents/guardians when available.

It is important to note that expectations in Human Development and Sexual Health will not be taught until after November 30, 2019 when the TDSB exemption procedure has been developed and shared with parents/guardians. This site will also be updated soon with resources for parents/guardians. 

Please contact the Ministry of Education with any questions about the content of the curriculum.