WINNIPEG, January 6, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Three members of the Winnipeg School Division, a public school board, are fighting long-standing legislation that allows parents to petition the board to allow religious exercises and religious instruction to be conducted in their schools.
Trustee Mike Babinsky has accused board chairwoman Suzanne Hrynyk, and trustees Kristine Barr and Joyce Bateman of “using every means available to thwart and delay parents who want their kids to take part in religion at school,” in the words of Winnipeg Free Press (WFP) reporter Nick Martin.
The Manitoba Education Department allows parents to petition for religious exercises or instruction to be conducted in the school, and if successful, must then approve the religious activities within the school for children of those parents, reports the WFP.
The petition requires signatures of parents and guardians of at least 10 students in a school of one or two classrooms, and parents and guardians of 25 children in a school of three or more classrooms. Only children whose parents sign the petition are allowed to take part, according to the Public Schools Act.
Hrynyk, Barr and Bateman had proposed that the board ask Education Minister Nancy Allan to change “shall” to “may” in the Act, giving trustees the option to refuse the parents’ request.
However, this proposal, as well as a proposal to ask the province to shift the decision on religious activities from trustees to administrators, was defeated by a majority of the board.
Babinsky explained to WFP that he believes the Winnipeg School Division is the only board that has problems with the legislation allowing religion in public schools where the parents follow the procedure to request it and provide the petition.
He said when a petition is presented most school divisions “pass a bylaw in one night to approve religious exercises or instruction, getting unanimous consent for three readings at once,” in the words of Martin.
Babinsky said, however, that at the Winnipeg School Division, the petitions tend to be heavily scrutinized, and that even if only one trustee abstains or vote against a petition it can significantly delay its approval, with only one reading happening per board meeting.
“Before you know it, it’s January” before the proposed religious activities actually take place, Babinsky said.
Hrynyk however, countered Babinsky’s assertion, telling the WFP that the examination of petitions and the one reading of the bylaw per board meeting are the way the Winnipeg School Division has always handled religious requests.
Contact information:
Winnipeg School Division
Pauline Clarke, Chief Superintendent of Schools
1577 Wall Street East
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 2S5
Phone: 204-775-0231
Fax: 204-772-6464
Email: [email protected]