Imposing a controversial sex-ed curriculum on Ontario students is particularly unfair for parents, compared to most other Canadian provinces.

Unlike in other Canadian jurisdictions, Ontario parents and students have no real choice on the issue.

But there’s a solution to this and so many other problems with Ontario’s flawed education system.

That solution is school choice.

Parents in Ontario have been dealt an unfair hand.

Unless you’re rich, your kids are almost always going to attend the public school in your area.

Wealthy families can afford to send their kids wherever they choose.

Ontarians of French or Catholic heritage can send their children to publicly-funded French or Catholic schools.

But the rest of us — that is to say, most of us — have nothing. No other alternatives. Bubkes.

To make matters worse, as evidenced by Premier Kathleen Wynne’s controversial sex-ed curriculum and the earlier version it replaced, Ontario parents were barely even consulted on what is to be taught to their kids.

It’s their tax dollars. It’s their kids. But it isn’t their choice.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Many provinces offer all parents and students the choice to find the school that works best for them.

They offer students a better chance to succeed.

British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec all offer some public funding for children to attend independently-run schools.

In Nova Scotia, learning disabled children have this same opportunity.

Parents in Alberta who choose to homeschool their children receive financial help from the government, making staying at home to teach an affordable option.

Homeschooling parents in B.C. and Saskatchewan have flexibility too.

In Edmonton and Calgary, parents have the option to send their children to unique, privately-run schools that are fully funded by the government!

There are numerous benefits to school choice.

Parents and students get to choose their schools based on what fits their learning style or keeps them interested in class.

What’s being taught also does not change with political whims.

Or, perhaps it does if you choose publicly-run schools.

The point is, you have a choice.

Ironically, introducing sex education to young children highlights the fundamental problem with one-size-fits-all education.

The rule of thumb when teaching a child emotionally sensitive information is to explain it in a way the child understands, then answer individual questions honestly, but without excessive, age-inappropriate or overwhelming information.

Ontario’s new sex-ed curriculum takes “the birds and the bees” from individualized learning to a one-size-fits-all approach.

But we all know from public schools: One size does not fit all.

Just as children learn in different ways, they mature at different speeds.

One-size-fits-all sex education isn’t in every child’s best interest, though it might be fine for some.

It’s bad enough that our curriculum is structured in this way generally speaking, let alone for sex-ed.

For example, Johnny may be struggling to learn his times tables because he’d benefit from repetition-based learning, while Jenny is excelling because story-based lessons make her 1-2-3’s a cinch.

This problem is worse when it intersects with potential impacts on a child’s psychological development, including introducing concepts before a child is ready.

And some kids will be ready. But some won’t.

Just as you should have the choice to raise your child the way you see fit, you should also have the choice to send her, or him, to the school that best fits them.

Ontario parents deserve the same choices they’d get in other provinces.

Ontario students deserve the same learning opportunities.

The Liberals say your kid is ready to talk about the birds and the bees their way or the highway?

Well, I say the the public is ready for an adult conversation about school choice.