Parents would be given the opportunity to opt their kids out of instruction surrounding human sexuality, sexual orientation and other lessons counter to a family's religious convictions.
Difficult to say how seriously this should be taken. Discussions of several proposed changes to their human rights legislation were deferred, so it is hard to imagine anything being tabled this week (as per the source article).
Interesting that MLA and failed Alberta Tory leadership contender Ted Morton's name comes up in connection with these rumoured changes, his base of support being rural Alta. for example the area around Big Valley, home of Canada's first Creationist Museum.
7 comments:
I really do not have a problem with this. When we had sex-ed classes in highschool, there were a few kids who were excused, and it was really no big deal.
I understand why schools want to offer this, and I think that's fine. And it's equally fine for parents who object to take the lead and responsibility for this, with their kids.
As for creationism... does anybody really think that kids in this environment are going to not encounter evolutionary theory, if they don't get it in classes?
And even if they do or don't -- do you really think kids who have been raised in deeply religious homes will buy into it...
In fact - if I know anything about kids of that age... the fact that they are being denied access to it - will probably result in them checking it out on their own... (the old foridden fruit being sweeter thing)
Thanks for posting this!
The questionable part is definitely the ability to take a child out of any class that goes against their religion. I'll be keeping my eyes open here - our school system's already hurting enough.
Alberta panders to the parents and children instead of the unions as is so common in other juridictions.
There is much more positive innovation in education with excellent choices for parents in home education,charter schools and various specialized public schools. Public schools in particluar have improved greatly as a result.
They already have protocols in place to deal with parental objections. They have to explain what their real motivation is.
Remember that Alberta had to be forced by the Supreme Court of Canada to include gay rights in the human rights code.
At a wild guess, I'd say that Blackett's being manipulated by Ted Morton.
Morton's Bill 208 was very similar to a lot of what is now being proposed.
I just can't wait to tell the school to pull my kids out of class when teachers who know less about science than my goldfish start spewing about global warming.
Take that lefties!
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