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| Parental rights bill causes controversy |
| Education |
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A government bill before the Alberta legislature would broaden the right of parents to pull their kids from classroom instruction they find objectionable, CTV News reported. The province’s School Act already allows parents to remove their children from curricula on sexuality. Bill 44, an amendment to Alberta’s human rights law, extends that right to teachings on sexual orientation and religion. Culture and Community Spirit Minister Lindsay Blackett said the legislation is in response to concerns expressed by many Albertans. “There were many submissions from within caucus and by faith-based groups and parents who had some concerns about their right to have a say in the curriculum,” he told CTV. Yet not all parents support the change. “We want our children to be critical thinkers,” Marilyn Sheptycki, president of the Alberta School Councils’ Association, told the Calgary Herald. The association represents about 800 elementary and high school parents’ groups. “We were surprised that we were not consulted on this,” she said. Also against Bill 44 are the Alberta School Boards Association, the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the College of Alberta School Superintendents. “If you have to have parental permission for anything that’s controversial, you’re just not able to take advantage of a spontaneous, teachable moment,” said college of superintendents president Paulette Hanna. The Calgary-based Canada Family Action Coalition, on the other hand, applauds the proposed changes. Co-founder Brian Rushfeldt predicted it would empower parents to keep their children out of any class, regardless of the subject matter. “I don’t know that the schools nor the government should be the ones to put parameters on it and say it’s only sexuality classes or only evolution classes or only religion classes,” he told the Herald. “That defeats the whole purpose of having parents have rights, because someone else is making the decision.” |
