HSD officials mum over review of origin of life policy, experts applaud move

Hanover School Division officials won’t provide details about a policy under review, which requires principals to select and offer resources to teach alternative views on the origin of life, despite an expert calling the policy review an example of “due diligence.”

The division’s Origin of Life Instruction policy, first created in 1984, directs teachers to teach different concepts relating to the origin of life, and schools to provide “up-to-date resources,” selected by the principal, to study “alternative views.”

“Hanover School Division recognizes that the teaching of the origin of life should be treated in an objective, balanced manner,” the policy states.

Seine River School Division, Border Land School Division, Red River Valley School Division and Sunrise School Division don’t have this policy or anything similar to it, according to an analysis by The Carillon.

The policy was listed as an agenda item during the April 7 board meeting, but was tabled to be discussed at a later date.

The school board conducts reviews of policies every four years. The origin of life policy was last reviewed in April 2021, but no changes were made.

Chairperson Dallas Wiebe read the policy back to The Carillon’s reporter but wouldn’t provide any details when asked to explain how the policy impacts classrooms in the division or what resources were being selected.

“Specific resources would be up-to-date materials from the principal,” he said.

Superintendent Joe Thiessen declined an interview and deferred all questions to Wiebe. Vice-chair Jeff Friesen said he wasn’t familiar with the policy.

Dr. Laura Reimer, school board governance consultant and former University of Manitoba law professor, said there’s likely little impact within classrooms because it’s not anchored in the Manitoba curriculum and the expected learning outcomes.

According to the Manitoba Public Schools Act, there is no mention of school divisions being required to have this policy. The provincial curriculum for Grade 8 does include teaching on different world views, and the origin and development of human life from hunter-gatherer to agrarians ways of life. It makes no mention of principals gathering extra curricular materials for teaching.

“It would be like deciding to serve hot dogs or hamburgers or tofu at a hot lunch. It’s not going to land in a classroom,” Reimer said.

She views the policy as not being harmful or relevant, bringing reasonable grounds to rescind it when the review is finished. It’s a positive and diligent move from the board to review this policy, Reimer noted.

If the policy is left unaddressed, despite it lacking any impact, it could become a “lightning rod for controversy.”

“When leaving board policies around that are irrelevant, they become opportunities for controversy and problems that aren’t actually there,” Reimer said, adding people may get upset about origin of life teaching when it’s not being taught.

She said the policy was probably created to ensure alternative perspectives and locally-relevant teaching was available when evolution was taught in public schools in the 1980s. She said most school boards don’t know what’s happening in classrooms on a regular basis.

“There’s nothing bad going on. The good part is that the board is doing its due diligence in reviewing the policy,” Reimer said.