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By Jim Coggins
 A SCHOOL district at the heart of British Columbia's 'Bible belt' has halted the teaching of a controversial "gay-friendly" social justice course in one of its secondary schools, saying the school in question should not have offered the course in the first place because it had not yet been approved by the board.
Teachers and students responded by criticizing the board's decision. Over 100 students from W.J. Mouat Secondary School marched on the Abbotsford School Board offices on Tuesday, demanding the course be reinstated.
Rick Guenther, president of the Abbotsford District Teachers' Association, accused the school district of "interfering" in the school's plan to teach the course, in a letter to the Abbotsford News. "This patronizing attitude, that treats both teachers and students with contempt, is insulting and unworthy of School District officials and does not inspire confidence in what passes for educational leadership," he wrote.
However, Abbotsford School District superintendent Des McKay told local news media that the District's seven high schools had been told last spring not to teach the Social Justice 12 course until it had been approved by the local school board.
One school, W.J. Mouat, added the course to its schedule anyway, and when district officials discovered in the summer that the course was being offered there, they insisted that it be modified.
Dave Stephen, communications director for the district, told CC.com that Mouat had not received the district's directive due to a breakdown in communications. "It was an unfortunate thing that happened," he said, adding that the board then tried to make the best of a bad situation by providing a course for the students who had signed up for Social Justice 12.
Sections on homosexuality were removed, and the revision, called 'Global Studies and Active Citizenship,' was approved by the school board and presented to the BC Ministry of Education for approval. The Ministry refused to approve the course because it was too close to the Ministry's own Social Justice course. However, it allowed the course to go ahead this year as an Independent Directed Study course.
It was later discovered that the Abbotsford Continuing Education (ACE) program was also offering the Social Justice 12 course, but that was allowed to continue since most of the students in that program are adults over 18.
School Board Chair Cindy Schafer told CC.com the board is not refusing to offer the course. Since the course was only released in late August, there simply wasn't time to examine it and make a decision before this school year. A decision will likely be made in the next couple of months. For the same reason, Schafer suggested it would be difficult for teachers to prepare to teach the course this year.
Two other nearby school districts, Surrey and Vancouver, are also not offering the course this year, for the same reason. Mission School District will offer the course, but not until next year. Chilliwack School District offered the course, but no students signed up for it. The course is being offered in only 20 schools across the province, including the one in Abbotsford.
Schafer said the Board is simply fulfilling its mandate in the School Act to "act as a prudent parent" and reflect the concerns of the community.
The Social Justice 12 course was developed as a result of a 2006 agreement between the BC government and a homosexual couple, Peter and Murray Corren.
The Correns had taken the government to the BC Human Rights Tribunal, charging that the public school curriculum discriminated against homosexuals and other sexual minorities by not portraying them often enough in the curriculum or in a favourable enough light.
The Correns helped to develop the course in the summer of 2006, and it was offered in seven high schools as a pilot course over the following year. The course was revised and then approved by the Correns and the Ministry, but school boards have not yet had an opportunity to examine the revised version.
As part of the consultation process, the Abbotsford School Board examined the course curriculum in January and sent a two-page submission to the Ministry outlining a number of concerns.
First, the board said the course was more appropriate for university students because of the complex sociological understanding needed to discuss the issues meaningfully.
Second, the board recommended that it be required that the course be taught only by teachers with extensive knowledge of sociology and various pieces of legislation such as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Third, the board said it would be difficult to find reading materials for the course that would give a balanced perspective. Because the course touches on areas of "family values, beliefs and practices", biased resources might leave some students "feeling alienated or threatened rather than feeling accepted and respected for their opinions and perspectives."
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Fourth, the board said the course materials should say that the teacher has an obligation to "not undermine the religious or moral beliefs and cultural practices or norms of families whose children are in their classrooms."
Finally, the board expressed concern that the course might give the impression that "having strong religious beliefs could have a negative affect on social justice issues." The board said the course did not adequately address discrimination against people because of their religious beliefs or the efforts of faith-based organizations on behalf of social justice.
The Correns agreement and the Social Justice course have been severely criticized by the Catholic Civil Rights League and by a number of other Christian organizations, as well as some Muslims and Sikhs. They argue that the Correns have been given more input to the BC school curriculum than religious organizations, parents and even school boards.
BC Education Minister Shirley Bond has rarely talked to the media about the issue, but recently issued written comments. She stated that school boards have the right to decide not to teach Social Justice 12 or any other elective course, although she told some media outlets that "no other school board in the province [other than Abbotsford] had a problem with" it.
Bond also said the course "does not attempt to alter the beliefs of individual students or their families."
However, the course curriculum states that it "will provide opportunities for students to examine their own beliefs and values, as well as the origins of those beliefs" and "allow them to support or challenge their beliefs and values through reflection, discussion, and critical analysis."
Leonard Remple, founder of Parents for Democracy in Education Society and a member of Northview Community Church in Abbotsford, has spent the last two years fighting the Correns agreement, and he says the Social Justice 12 course is only one aspect of that agreement.
The Ministry of Education, in consultation with the Correns, is also developing an extensive policy on "diversity" called 'Making Space, Giving Voice,' which will guide the entire public school system. As well, the Correns have been given input into the revision of every course in the school system.
This arrangement will "introduce into every subject in every grade a favourable portrayal of the homosexual lifestyle," says Remple -- and if the curriculum says that homosexual and other minority sexual practices are good, then, by implication, it is saying that the morality of Christianity and other religions is wrong.
While Abbotsford has been described as the "Bible belt", the community and the school board reflect "the full spectrum" of Canadian society, said Schafer. She added that the board has received numerous expressions of concern about the Correns agreement from the community, including the large Indo-Canadian community in Abbotsford.
Related stories:
Gay-friendly course halted by Abbotsford school board
Ninety students had already enrolled at one high school
Vancouver Sun, September 22
B. C. schools oust 'controversial' sociology class
A new high school course designed to promote tolerance and diversity by introducing to students concepts such as homophobia, heterosexism and cultural imperialism will not be taught in at least one school district in British Columbia this year, thanks to worries that students exposed to the material may become bigots.
National Post, September 23
B.C. reneged on deal, gay activists say
Two gay activists accused the B.C. government on Tuesday of reneging on a deal it signed two years ago to make school curriculum more inclusive, especially for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students. But Murray and Peter Corren held off preparing a complaint to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal after an education ministry employee called and proposed a meeting later this week.
Vancouver Sun, September 24
Abbotsford students demand Social Justice
Sorry for the delay in posting comments - I was in Abbotsford most of the day talking to students who were protesting the board of education's decision not to offer Social Justice 12 this year because of concerns about the content.
Janet Steffenhagen, Report Card, Vancouver Sun, September 30
A mother makes a plea to keep her gay son from harm
A number of "concerned parents" -- it was never made clear how many -- complained to the board about Social Justice 12 because of the homosexuality component in it. The board caved, and pulled the course. . . . The problem with these stories is that you never hear the other side of the story. You never hear of the other "concerned parents," and there are other concerned parents. Susan Harman is one of them. Her son is gay.
Peter McMartin, Vancouver Sun, October 2
October 2/2007
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I believe the whole gay agenda is taking society down the road to tyrrany where there will be no room for Christians who take the Bible as the authorative Word of God. Someday there will be no room for dissent by those who will not go the road of paganism.
May we fight Biblical Theophobia!
Although the Social Justice 12 course as outlined in the final IRP deals with many topics worthy of students’ consideration, it is, due to bias and lack of specified direction, a course which allows for the possibility of gross abuse on the part of the teacher who might choose to use it to propagandize for his own particular viewpoint.
By the way, the course is an elective, and even according to the Education Minister, the district is within its rights to refuse to approve it.
Please see www.bcptl.org/schools.htm and www.takebackourschools.org ..
Also, the need to be passionate about the ways of Jesus Christ it is not just a good way of life. Passion about christ is very contagious.
I was with a group of Christian University Gradutes, who almost all came from good Chritisan families this summer and I posed the question, is homosexuality a sin? The group was silent, no one spoke, they weren't to sure if it was sin.
Yes, we love every human being as God commands, and we need to learn to love people unconditinally, but what every human being is involved in does not meet God's approval.
The evangelical faith-healer didn't cheat with a man, he cheated with a woman and less was said about that scandalous behaviour than about committed, loving, and dedicated gay couples. Give me honest love anytime over the righteous indignation of someone who thinks their world is being destroyed because two men or two women love each other. HATE IS NOT A FAMILY VALUE.
Leslee, Vancouver