I rarely get the level of response to one of my columns that I received for my last piece in the Nov. 20 edition of the Barrhead Leader.
It’s ranged from letters to calls to one angry fellow who came in to lecture me about why all public schools should teach the Ten Commandments.
For those who did not read the column in question, I offered up my opinion about 28 schools - including Covenant Canadian Reformed School in Neerlandia - who have been threatened by the loss of their funding if they refuse to comply with Bill 24, the legislation that mandates the establishment of Gay-Straight Alliances.
First, I mistakenly said Alberta is the only province that funds independent schools. That is incorrect. In fact, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and B.C. also fund independent schools. My apologies for that mistake.
Secondly, you’ll be glad to hear that I do now agree that funding should go to independent schools, albeit not at the same rate as public schools. I do think that parents choosing a private school should have to pay a little more if they want their child to learn a specialized curriculum, but I recognize you are taxpayers and you deserve a portion of tax revenue to keep your schools going.
However, I’m now a little less sympathetic to the 28 schools that have had their funding and licence “threatened” by Education Minister David Eggen.
I’ve heard the arguments: Eggen is bullying us, Eggen is saying his will supersedes that of the Bible and that of God, etc. And maybe there’s some truth to the notion that Eggen is using strongarm tactics to push an ideological viewpoint.
But on the other hand, there are over 200 private and independent schools in Alberta, and virtually all of them have relented and made the changes required under legislation. Even the Catholic schools have bent the knee, as it were. So why can’t these 28 holdouts do the same? Ultimately, it’s just the wording of a school policy that needs to be changed, not a sacred religious text
I just have to point out that Neerlandia Public Christian School is absolutely not at risk because Pembina Hills is in full compliance with Bill 24. Is the gulf between two Christian schools in the same community really that wide?
