Religious petition receives cautious approval

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This article was published 26/05/2015 (3250 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Their hands may be tied by the Public Schools Act but trustees in Seine River School Division still had some debate on Tuesday night over religious instruction in the division.

Trustees waded into the subject at their last regular meeting earlier this month, when trustee Gary Nelson spoke against allowing Child Evangelism Fellowship to facilitate religious instruction classes at Arborgate School in La Broquerie next year and voted against first reading of an motion for approval.

School divisions are obligated by the Public Schools Act to approve petitions for religious instruction and religious exercises so long as the petitions meet provincial requirements.

The issue raised its head earlier this school year in Winnipeg School Division when a petition, also involving Child Evangelism Fellowship, was challenged by trustees. Concerns were raised by trustees like WSD trustee Lisa Naylor who said she would not support an organization coming into public schools with a history of donating money to anti-LGBTQ organizations and teaching creationism.

WSD trustees have requested that the province’s education minister, James Allum, review legislation and have suggested school boards should have a say a say as to which organizations are approved, not be bound by the Public Schools Act to support whatever petition is received.

Nelson was absent from Tuesday’s trustee meeting but fellow trustee Greg Reid asked if any response from the province had been issued. Reid also expressed caution about the work of Child Evangelism Fellowship.

“I know Lisa (Naylor),” Reid said. “I don’t think she’d say that without some research. It concerns me as well.”

Trustees gave final approval for religious instruction to take place at Arborgate. As Reid noted, trustees at this point don’t really have a choice in the matter.