No public secular education in Morinville AB

[abmom]

All 4 public schools in Morinville belong to Greater St.Albert Catholic Regional Division No.29. One can opt out of religious studies but Catholicism is permeated within the curriculum throughtout the entire day. So, even though students can opt out of religious studies, one cannot opt out of a religious education, in a public school. There are no separate schools in Morinville AB.

A group of parents requested a secular option be made available in Morinville but the school board denied the request. According to the Superintendent, 70% are not Catholic.

If parents want their child to a non faith based education, one would have to withdraw their child from their resident public school, transport them privately to another school in another district, in another town and become "non resident" of that school board.


www.morinvilleparentdelegation.webs.com

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[In Between Man]

Look on the "bright side", you can be as Godless as you want in your own home.

 

[TenPenny]

Interesting, I'm sure it would not stand up to a Charter challenge.

 

[lone wolf]

Sounds like a great place NOT to be Orange

 

[Machjo]

Even a religious school, if receiving any kind of public funding, ought to be fully conformant to alla pplicable human rights laws with regards to the freedom of religion of its student-body.

This kind of situation is also a good example of where a voucher system would be a good idea. Since the school funding owuld follow the pupil directly, schools would be more responsive to parents than when all the funding is detached from parental decisions.

 

[Durry]

Stick to your guns Mornville !!

 

[Machjo]

Sounds like a great place NOT to be Orange

And a great place to be Papist.

 

[gerryh]

One can opt out of religious studies but Catholicism is permeated within the curriculum throughtout the entire day. So, even though students can opt out of religious studies, one cannot opt out of a religious education, in a public school. There are no separate schools in Morinville AB.

I would like to hear some specifics.

 

[Machjo]

I would like to hear some specifics.

I'd be happy to oblige. I'd attended the Separate school system in Ottawa for most of my elementary education until I'd moved to Victoria BC. My mother was (and still is) Catholic, and from what I remember, Catholic events occured not just in the Cathechism class, but in other activities too. I remember a Catholic-book sale once at the school. I can't remember the details since I was quite young, but I remember the clear theme was that all books had to have a Catholic theme. That was outside of Catechism class and involved the whole school.Now I'd normally see nothing wrong with it in principle except that when public funds are involved, then a pupil's right to freedom of religion must be respected. I had no qualms about learning about the Catholic Faith, or even that the catholic Faith be taught compulsorily in Catholic school, as long as it's factual. However, I remember how I'd done my confirmation as an atheist. The reason is simple. I was a child, all my classmates were going through confirmation as a class, and so though I was already questioning religion, nedless to say there was lots of pressure to play the role if you will. Now of course this was not all of the school's doing in that I was being raised Catholic at home too and so parental pressure played a role too.However, It still doesn't change the fact that the school environment encourages a form of peer pressure to conform too, which violates one's freedom of religion, even as a child. Again, if we were talking about the school requiring all pupils to learn about the Catholic faith but otherwise ensuring that all children who are not Catholic feel free to be truthful about it while still respecting the Catholics in the school, I'd have no qualms about it. As it was I did not feel comfortable as an atheist in a cathoic school as a child, not to mention it was publicly funded to boot.

 

[gerryh]

I'd be happy to oblige. I'd attended the Separate school system in Ottawa for most of my elementary education until I'd moved to Victoria BC. My mother was (and still is) Catholic, and from what I remember, Catholic events occured not just in the Cathechism class, but in other activities too. I remember a Catholic-book sale once at the school. I can't remember the details since I was quite young, but I remember the clear theme was that all books had to have a Catholic theme. That was outside of Catechism class and involved the whole school.Now I'd normally see nothing wrong with it in principle except that when public funds are involved, then a pupil's right to freedom of religion must be respected. I had no qualms about learning about the Catholic Faith, or even that the catholic Faith be taught compulsorily in Catholic school, as long as it's factual. However, I remember how I'd done my confirmation as an atheist. The reason is simple. I was a child, all my classmates were going through confirmation as a class, and so though I was already questioning religion, nedless to say there was lots of pressure to play the role if you will. Now of course this was not all of the school's doing in that I was being raised Catholic at home too and so parental pressure played a role too.However, It still doesn't change the fact that the school environment encourages a form of peer pressure to conform too, which violates one's freedom of religion, even as a child. Again, if we were talking about the school requiring all pupils to learn about the Catholic faith but otherwise ensuring that all children who are not Catholic feel free to be truthful about it while still respecting the Catholics in the school, I'd have no qualms about it. As it was I did not feel comfortable as an atheist in a cathoic school as a child, not to mention it was publicly funded to boot.

You are not abmom and did not attend school in Morinville. Therefore you can not answer the request I have made. With that in mind I have ignored your entire diatribe.

 

[talloola]

I'd be happy to oblige. I'd attended the Separate school system in Ottawa for most of my elementary education until I'd moved to Victoria BC. My mother was (and still is) Catholic, and from what I remember, Catholic events occured not just in the Cathechism class, but in other activities too. I remember a Catholic-book sale once at the school. I can't remember the details since I was quite young, but I remember the clear theme was that all books had to have a Catholic theme. That was outside of Catechism class and involved the whole school.Now I'd normally see nothing wrong with it in principle except that when public funds are involved, then a pupil's right to freedom of religion must be respected. I had no qualms about learning about the Catholic Faith, or even that the catholic Faith be taught compulsorily in Catholic school, as long as it's factual. However, I remember how I'd done my confirmation as an atheist. The reason is simple. I was a child, all my classmates were going through confirmation as a class, and so though I was already questioning religion, nedless to say there was lots of pressure to play the role if you will. Now of course this was not all of the school's doing in that I was being raised Catholic at home too and so parental pressure played a role too.However, It still doesn't change the fact that the school environment encourages a form of peer pressure to conform too, which violates one's freedom of religion, even as a child. Again, if we were talking about the school requiring all pupils to learn about the Catholic faith but otherwise ensuring that all children who are not Catholic feel free to be truthful about it while still respecting the Catholics in the school, I'd have no qualms about it. As it was I did not feel comfortable as an atheist in a cathoic school as a child, not to mention it was publicly funded to boot.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
doesn't matter at all that you are being taught religion in school, or not, or even what your parents are
teaching you about religion.

It is good to have the teaching, and the knowledge,as it will make it clear in your thought process as you mature, just what
YOU want for yourself, and you will find your own way, either way, doesn't matter, what does matter, is that
you choose your own way, and not that of anyone else, because they 'tell' you you must.

So, as an atheist, you can still learn about religion, knowledge is never a waste.

 

[Machjo]

That's why I'd made the distinction between being required to learn about the Catholic faith on the one hand, and being forced to undergo Communion on the other. It would be like the distionction between a school requiring students to read the Qur'an and one forcing students to perform Salat. Or the student forced to read the Bible vs the student being forced to get circumcised.There is a distinction between being forced to learn about a religion and being forced to perform the rituals of the religion. I thought that was clear enough in my post above.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

...one cannot opt out of a religious education, in a public school. There are no separate schools in Morinville AB..

Um... no, other way around, according to what you've said. There's nothing but separate schools in Morinville , there's no public school. Hard to know what's really going on based on what you posted, but it seems pretty obvious to me that if 70% of the people in the district aren't Catholic, what's to prevent them from setting up a public school board and a public school? Asking the separate school board to do it for them is just dumb, of course it'll refuse, the non-Catholics need to take matters into their own hands instead of asking people with no interest in what they want to do it for them. Besides, my experience with the separate schools where I live suggests it's not very hard to counter the religious instruction kids get in the separate school system, if that's what you want to do, it's not a very forceful indoctrination. When they're around 13 or 14, just hand them Bertrand Russell's book Why I Am Not A Christian. and be prepared to talk to them about what he says.

 

[gerryh]

That's why I'd made the distinction between being required to learn about the Catholic faith on the one hand, and being forced to undergo Communion on the other. It would be like the distionction between a school requiring students to read the Qur'an and one forcing students to perform Salat. Or the student forced to read the Bible vs the student being forced to get circumcised.There is a distinction between being forced to learn about a religion and being forced to perform the rituals of the religion. I thought that was clear enough in my post above.

and I asked her to be specific. I want to know WHAT is being taught outside of religion classes that is objectionable.


I'd also like to point out for the mentally challenged. One can NOT receive first communion, first confession, or confirmation if one is NOT baptized into the Catholic Faith...period. Therefore one who is NOT Catholic can NOT be forced to receive communion.

 

[Corduroy]

Oh this is easy, defund the religious schools and use that money to start a secular public school. If the religious schools want to continue operation they can ask god for the money.

 

[captain morgan]

Oh this is easy, defund the religious schools and use that money to start a secular public school. If the religious schools want to continue operation they can ask god for the money.

What a narrow comment... It is the religious community that is contributing 70% of the funds to the education system.

 

[petros]

In a city or municipality with a two school system your taxes go to the school of your choice or it goes public by default.

It's not hard to figure out who the home owners are in this thread or who pays attention where their municipal taxes go

 

[captain morgan]

It's one helluva balancing act. In part, I think that one of the reasons that the rise of the Charter schools is largely influenced by situations like Morinville. The upside is that once the families/parents take the bull by the horns and get mobilized, the popularity of the (new) school takes flight and more families begin to support the facilities. It's only a matter of time before the applicable taxes begin to flow away from the dominant system and begin to be more representative of the minority.

 

[petros]

Yuppers...but first that new school will have to pass the mustard before it gets fully accredited by the Province

 

[captain morgan]

It is a long process, but many have popped-up in my neck of the woods over the last few years.