Educators should feel confident that parents are highly supportive of schools addressing a wide array of topics, including the correct naming of body parts, skills to engage in safer sex practice, skills to critique social media and sexually explicit imagery, and affirmation of diverse gender identities and sexualities (Hendriks et al., 2023).

Schools are not required to seek parental permission for the inclusion of relationships, sexuality or consent education. However, a parent or carer may decide not to allow their child to participate in the program. If parents/caregivers decide to remove their child from the lessons, it is vital that the child has access to accurate and reliable information and the skills and attitudes to make informed choices. 

Getting parents involved and making them aware that the program is happening is important. Often, parent resistance comes from fear of the unknown and in some cases from deliberately spread misinformation about the content and purpose of RSE.