By Jim Coggins

A NEW grade 12 course prepared by the British Columbia Ministry of Education is being called an instrument of social indoctrination by some Christian activist groups.

Social Justice 12 is an elective course created as a result of the Correns Agreement, an out-of-court settlement the B.C. government made last year with Murray and Peter Corren.

The Correns had sued the government, arguing the B.C. education curriculum was discriminatory because it did not adequately present issues relevant to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people.

The draft Integrated Resource Package (IRP) for the Social Justice course was developed over the past year by the Ministry of Education in consultation with the Correns and some social activist groups recommended by the Correns and was released August 1. It will be run as a pilot course this fall in seven school districts, and will then be revised and approved for use in all school districts.

The Canadian Alliance for Social Justice and Family Values Association (CASJAFVA) has written to Minister of Education Shirley Bond asking her to stop the piloting of the course.

CASJAFVA argued, first, that the development of the course has been unfair because the Correns and a variety of civil liberties and even animal rights groups were invited to give input into the development of the course, but no parents’ groups or religious organizations were given that opportunity. CASJAFVA convenor K-John Cheung suggested, “Animals have more rights than religious people.”

Cheung said this breaches an agreement the government made last year to allow CASJAFVA to give input, after CASJAFVA and other groups staged protest rallies and collected over 15,000 signatures on a petition.  

CASJAFVA also argued that because the current course outline introduces but does not define terms such as social justice, feminism, heterosexism, homophobia and speciesism, it leaves the door wide open for individual teachers to use the course to “propagandize students.”

CASJAFVA also argued that the course’s linking of homosexuality to the positive contributions of homosexuals is propaganda because sexual orientation is often irrelevant to a person’s contribution. Cheung said that if the course is to address issues such as  homosexuality, the material should be presented in an impartial manner, showing the pros and cons of that lifestyle.

Cheung said that students who take the course will face tremendous pressure to support pro-homosexual and similar views. “There will be reverse discrimination against students who have traditional values.”

B.C. Parents and Teachers for Life has also taken a position against the course.  In particular, BCPTF objects to a phrase in the curriculum that advises schools to “Ensure students are aware that their parents may have access to the schoolwork they create only insofar as it pertains to students’ progress.” BCPTF president Ted Hewlett, a retired teacher, said he has never seen such a statement in an IRP before and suggested that it may mean some of the course content is to be kept secret from parents.  

Hewlett also expressed concern that the IRP was released a month later than originally planned. This has given parents and other groups little time to comment on the course before it is taught.

Hewlett said that “parents, as the prime educators, should have the ability to choose” what education is given to their children.

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Hewlett said the course is “an opportunity for massive indoctrination” because “the whole course has a certain slant.” He said that some of the course’s biases are spelled out and others are only implied. The course defends “reproductive rights” (abortion), and how the Civil Marriage Act advanced human rights (presumably by allowing gay marriage).

Hewlett is also concerned that the course requires that students “demonstrate attitudes that promote social justice, including . . . embracing diversity.” In other words, instead of holding their own views, students may be required to accept the views of the teacher “or get a bad mark.”

Patrick Clarke, a coordinator of Social Justice programs for the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation,told BCCN that the BCTF supports the course in principle but will not be commenting on the draft IRP. The BCTF has taken official positions supporting some of the controversial positions offered in the course.  

Clarke said it is not that unusual for a course to teach values since courses such as Law 12 and Planning 10 do this, although he agreed that this new course is more systematic in this area. He said that Ministry of Education guidelines require teachers to follow “generally accepted community standards and values.” The BCTF advises teachers to “be careful and respectful” when dealing with issues on which there is a diversity of opinion, but admitted that teachers have a fair amount of leeway.

Clarke said that he wouldn’t expect “a huge sign-up” for the course because it is an elective that requires a significant number of students to sign up, a qualified teacher willing to teach it, and sufficient resources from school boards struggling with limited budgets.

Hewlett said the course is still very significant for two reasons. First, the IRP states the course will train a cadre of social activists who will exert a much wider influence.

Second, the course is “an indication of the direction things might go,” since the Correns and their allied interest groups have input into revising every other course in the B.C. curriculum over the next few years.

CASJAFVA and BCPTL are encouraging parents to give feedback via a ‘Response Form’ on the Ministry of Education website; but Hewlett noted the form primarily asks for feedback on how well the course presents the content, not on what the content should be.

He added that the most influential feedback will be from those who teach the pilot courses, and asserted these teachers will most likely be social activists in agreement with the content. He said it is highly unlikely a Christian teacher would offer to teach the course and present a more balanced view.

Hewlett said a major concern is that the resource list of recommended books, readings and videos for this course won’t be revealed until after the course is finalized; he warned there will be no opportunity for feedback on this important component.

By press time,the Ministry of Education had not returned BCCN’s phone calls on the issue.

Editor’s note: Following is a comment sent in response to the online version of this story.

I am one of the seven Social Justice pilot teachers, and I hope that your readers will take a close look at the BC Integrated Resource Package (IRP) for Social Justice 12, before completely writing off this course as mere ‘propaganda.’

This IRP is open for public review and feedback. The document’s text can be found at:

bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/drafts/sj12_draft.pdf

You’ll see that, in this IRP, homelessness, poverty, human trafficking, prostitution and affordable housing are given equal weight to what some consider the more controversial issues.                          

– Kama Money

October 2007