From here:
EDMONTON, Alberta, February 23, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Under Alberta’s new Education Act, homeschoolers and faith-based schools will not be permitted to teach that homosexual acts are sinful as part of their academic program, says the spokesperson for Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk.
“Whatever the nature of schooling – homeschool, private school, Catholic school – we do not tolerate disrespect for differences,” Donna McColl, Lukaszuk’s assistant director of communications, told LifeSiteNews on Wednesday evening.
“You can affirm the family’s ideology in your family life, you just can’t do it as part of your educational study and instruction,” she added.
The assistant director of communications appears not to have noticed that her claim not to tolerate disrespect for differences is rendered somewhat empty considering she is unable to show much respect for views that differ from hers.
Conservative government in Alberta? I think not.
First they enanct “drunk” driving laws that are as constitutionally nebulous as BC’s. Then they bring in an NDP budget. Now they want to legislate conscience -in Home Schooling!
Bring on the Wild Rose!
Yeah, as an Alberta homeschooler we’re getting right onto this.
There is an election this Spring, so they’ll hear from us one way or the other.
How will they enforce this? In home schooling, what is the dividing line between education and family life?
Congratulations to the Alberta Government for this action to prevent discrimination in schools against the LGBT community. The Anglican Church of Canada must surely back this pro-active legislation against homophobic teaching.
Father Ron,
I would be interested in learning whether you think any acts are intrinsically sinful; it would appear that you at least believe homophobia is.
Do you then believe, as you appear to, that the government alone is responsible for determining what is and is not sinful and is also responsible for ensuring that those who sin are punished? If you do, you should strenuously pursue the option of emmigrating to North Korea.
If you don’t, I can’t see how you can object to a family passing its ethical standards on to its children.
As an aside, since I find it so repulsive, I only allow one use of the word “pro-active” per year.
^^driveby
How can the gov’t have any say over what faith based schools teach? In Ontario these sorts of laws/regulations only cover the schools that get public funding, as far as I know. (or ‘schools that are covered by the education act’, as the minister of education put it)
As far as home schools go – how on earth could they enforce it? All you’d have to do is call the faith based part of your homeschool ‘family time’, and who is anybody to say any different?
In Alberta, there is some public funding available to private schools and to parents who home-school their children. Also, in addition to Catholic schools that are part of the public system as in Ontario, there are also faith-based schools that operate under the umbrella of public school boards. In both ON and AB, however, Catholic separate schools have constitutional protection to operate according to their principles. Private schools and private families are entitled to protection of the Charter from acts of the government that infringe on their freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression as well as their freedom of religion and conscience.
I’m with Kate: this is both boneheaded and unenforceable.
Just imagine the “inspector” demanding that little Johnny recite what mummie told him about gays (with parents out of the room, of course).
Utterly sickening. And why isn’t this horrible Lukaszuk person in hiding? Who died and made him pope?
Explains why they want to disarm Canadians, doesn’t it?
This is another example of the “socialist engineers” (as I call them) trying to control society. Make sure that the children are fully indoctrinated in only the ideology that is approved, including in people’s homes. That way the future is secured to be what they want it to be.
Homeschooling is looking more and more appealing (Ontario homeschoolers don’t get public money, but they don’t have to report to the school board eiher, at least not in Ottawa.)
There are actually several good online schools out of the U.S. for those wishing to “homeschool with help” according to the Classical Christian model: Veritas Academy, Memoria Press Online Academy, Scholars Online, and Regina Coeli Academy. I am fairly certain none of these touch on promotion of homosexuality as an academic subject.
Are they expensive?
They range; approximately $300 – $500 U.S. per full-year course is more or less the norm, though some of these online schools also have self-paced or more independent courses that are offered for less. Books and course materials are extra (Veritas Press and Memoria Press have some wonderful books for children/youth even if you aren’t homeschooling). See their websites.
Regina Coeli Academy is based upon Roman Catholic teachings, while the others have more of a Protestant perspective. All offer Latin, Rhetoric and Logic to the appropriate age levels. Most have a junior school and a senior school. I can vouch for the Memory Course through Veritas Academy — I was particularly impressed that children of 9 – 11 yrs. learn to recite the Westminster Catechism by heart, as well as names/dates of Classical History, and Latin declensions. Over at Regina Coeli, I haven’t met such a thorough and rigorous high school education as what they offer, for many a year.
Worth looking into as a cross between parent-taught homeschool and standard schools. Class work is done online.