School Policies Tag

05 Feb 2016 Albertans Must Respectfully but Firmly Oppose Ministry of Education Guidelines

(For those outside Alberta, please don’t ignore this action update. Manitoba is working on similar guidelines, and other provinces are likely to follow.) In less than one year, Alberta has transitioned from a province with an outstanding reputation for upholding parental authority in education to becoming one of the most oppressive jurisdictions in North America. Christian schools are now being told to adopt policies and procedures by March 31st which directly violate their faith and promote radical ideologies. If the province does not change its approach, Christian parents and schools will have to either compromise their faith or make a principled stand against the province.   Basic Talking Points The following four points encapsulate our basic concerns about the Alberta education minister’s desire to make all schools celebrate his radical gender politics and his unchristian views of sexuality. ludicrous overreach: the new policies and guidelines from the education minister are so beyond the pale that even public schools are pushing back. See below for many examples of the extreme nature of these guidelines. parental rights undermined: the new policies and guidelines drive a wedge between parents and children and actively seek to undermine this very important relationship. palpable harm to children: the evidence from medical experts is clear – encouraging or reinforcing gender dysphoria, particularly with pre-pubescent children, is harmful to the child and virtually guarantees a life of emotional and psychological suffering. The exact students the State pretends to help are the ones most harmed by these policies. These policies also gamble with child abuse by downplaying any risks associated with mixing boys and girls in the same change rooms, washrooms and sports teams. religious and associational liberty attacked: the new policies and guidelines violate the Charter’s guarantee of freedom of religion (including the right of religious institutions to remain true to their faith commitments without having to teach or celebrate as true and good something fundamentally at odds with their religious convictions). The policies and guidelines also violate the Charter’s guarantee of freedom of association (including the right of parents to come together for a legitimate common cause and to carry out that cause according to their shared principles without State interference). We urge our readers and supporters in Alberta to communicate these points to their elected representatives boldly, but also respectfully. Also, though many of you are parents who send your children to an independent school, speak as a concerned citizen and as parent but not on behalf of your school (leave that to your local school board). In order to get the full story of what is going on, what is at stake, and what you can do, please read on.