(Make you glad to be Albertan? What's your take on this story?)A controversial new bill does not give Alberta parents the right to pull their children out of science classes when evolution is discussed, according to Lindsay Blackett, the provincial minister responsible for human rights.
New rules buried in a proposed amendment to Alberta's human rights legislation that extends rights to homosexuals would require schools to notify parents in advance of "subject matter that deals explicitly with religion, sexuality or sexual orientation." Parents can then ask for their child to be excluded from the discussion.
This is such a loaded issue and there are many sensitive topics in abundance. The bottom line for me is how this underscores the importance of being involved in your child's education. My feeling is that I shouldn't need warnings from the school's admin about what my child is being taught - I should already know. As parents its our responsibility to be aware of what is going on in our children's lives and very little has a more profound impact on them than what they learn in school. I also would like to think that no matter what they are being taught in school, opportunity will arise for disagreement and discussion for every topic at school. Challenges to 'accepted' thoughts and ideas (even family values) should always be part of the education process - by definition.
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