CHESLEY, Ont. - Public school trustees defied vitriol, threats and
impassioned pleas by finalizing a ban Tuesday on the free handouts of
Gideon Bibles.
The 8-3 vote at the Bluewater District board barring
distribution of any non-instructional religious materials ended months
of fractious and emotionally charged debate over the ending of the
decades-old practice.
The decision, which follows in the footsteps of several other
public school boards in Canada, was made on legal advice that allowing
the distribution could violate human-rights legislation.
Bill Donovan, of Owen Sound, Ont., a father with one child
in the Bluewater system, opposed the distribution because it "undermines
the secular nature" of public schools.
"I feel most pleased, though, that the decision derived
from the law of the land, administered by an elected board, in a secular
fashion," Donovan said.
"It bolsters my faith in the admirable society we have here in Ontario and Canada."
Vociferous opponents of the ban had accused trustees of betraying their Canadian and Christian heritage.
Several trustees received threats and hate mail, much of it anti-immigrant.
As a result, the board took security precautions for the evening vote, which went off without incident.
Before the vote, one speaker, Bevan Lougheed, told the
board that he wished on behalf of the Christian community to "explicitly
condemn" expressions of hate.
"We just want to be consulted before you change a practice important to our heritage," Lougheed said.
Another public speaker said allowing the Bible giveaway amounted to discrimination.
The local chapter of Gideons International in Canada and
some church elders had previously distanced themselves from the more
extreme views espoused by ban opponents.
Still, the invective unnerved members of the board, which
has more than 18,000 students in 53 schools in Ontario's Bruce and Grey
counties.
Trustees stressed the ban applies only to non-instructional religious materials.
"Multi-faith content in the public elementary and secondary
school curriculum for educational purposes will continue," board
chairwoman Jan Johnstone said earlier.
"Bibles and other religious texts will continue to be available in our libraries."
Some parents have said they might take their children out of the public school system in light of the ban.
Gideons International in Canada, which has been offering
the free Bible to Grade 5 students, said the organization would take a
ban with "complete acceptance."
Johnstone rejected as out of order a proposed "compromise"
amendment that would have sent the ban motion out for system-wide
consultation before a final vote.
Another trustee, holding a Gideon Bible she once received, called it a sad day.
Read More From Winnipeg Free Press
No comments:
Post a Comment