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By Jim Coggins
A NEW grade 12 course prepared by the British Columbia Ministry of Education is being called "an opportunity for massive 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 that 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 it 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. "Animals have more rights than religious people," said CASJAFVA convenor K-John Cheung.
Cheung said this breaches an agreement the government made in March of this 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. 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, said Cheung.
Students who take the course will face tremendous pressure to support pro-homosexual and similar views, said Cheung. "There will be reverse discrimination against students who have traditional values."
Parents' rights
BC 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 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.
"Parents, as the prime educators, should have the ability to choose" what education is given to their children, said Hewlett.
The course is "an opportunity for massive indoctrination" because "the whole course has a certain slant," he added. The course defends "reproductive rights" -- that is, abortion -- and how the Civil Marriage Act advanced human rights, presumably by allowing gay marriage.
Hewlett said he is also concerned that the course requires students to "demonstrate attitudes that promote social justice, including . . . embracing diversity." In other words, he said, instead of holding their own views, students may be required to accept the views of the teacher "or get a bad mark."
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Standards
Patrick Clarke, a coordinator of Social Justice programs for the British Columbia Teachers' Federation, told CC.com 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.
It is not that unusual for a course to teach values since courses such as Law 12 and Planning 10 do this, said Clarke, although he agreed that this new course is more systematic in this area.
Ministry of Education guidelines require teachers to follow "generally accepted community standards and values," said Clarke. The BCTF advises teachers to "be careful and respectful" when dealing with issues on which there is a diversity of opinion, he added, but he admitted teachers have a fair amount of leeway.
Clarke said 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.
However, Hewlett said the course is still very significant for two reasons. First, the IRP states that 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" when the Correns and their preferred interest groups have input into revising every other course in the BC curriculum over the next few years -- another provision of the Correns Agreement.
CASJAFVA and BCPTL are encouraging parents to give feedback to the Ministry of Education via a response Form on the Ministry of Education website.
However, Hewlett noted that the form primarily asks for feedback on how well the course presents the content, not on what the content should be.
The most influential feedback will be from the teachers who teach the pilot courses, and these teachers will most likely be social activists in agreement with the content, said Hewlett.
It is highly unlikely a Christian teacher would offer to teach the course and present a more balanced view, he added, noting that the three-month suspension given to teacher Chris Kempling for speaking against homosexuality outside the classroom a couple of years ago was "a warning to other teachers who have socially conservative values" to keep quiet within the classroom.
A major concern is that the "resource list" -- recommended books, readings, and videos -- for this course won't be revealed until after the course is finalized, said Hewlett, so there will be no opportunity for feedback on this important component.
Clarke said he has never seen significant changes made to a course IRP after the pilot stage.
Clarke said it is not unusual for an IRP to come out later than scheduled, but Hewlett and Cheung suggested the late release during the summer months might have been a deliberate attempt to discourage public input.
CC.com could find no evidence of a government news release on the new curriculum, and the Ministry of Education has not returned phone calls on the issue.
Related stories:
B.C. high schools get 'ISMS' course
A new Grade 12 elective course that will make its debut in selected schools next week as part of a controversial deal to settle a human rights complaint is called Social Justice 12, but it could also be dubbed Lessons in Isms. Ableism, ageism, anthropocentrism, consumerism, cultural imperialism, extremism, feminism, fundamentalism, heterosexism, humanism, racism, sexism and speciesism are among the key learning concepts, according to information released recently by the Education Ministry. Murray Corren -- who along with his spouse, Peter, was responsible for the human rights complaint and had a hand in developing the Social Justice curriculum -- said the only thing missing is a glossary explaining terms such as heterosexism and speciesism that are not a part of everyday vocabulary. . . . But religious groups say the lack of definitions -- even with respect to the term "social justice" -- will allow teachers to shape the course according to their own beliefs. That can be good and bad, says the Catholic Civil Rights League.
Vancouver Sun, September 1
September 13/2007
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Krista Joseph, Grade 10.