A group of conservative Christian and Muslim parents in Ontario want schools to notify them before their children are taught about sexuality, birth control, āenvironmental worship,ā or occult practices.
Days after Ontario passed an anti-bullying law that promotes the acceptance of diversity, parents began distributing a four-page form letter to their childrenās elementary schools in and around Toronto, Ontario.
Titled āChoosing to Remain in the Public System,ā the downloadable form asks that parents be advised prior to their childrenās exposure to sex education and discussions about homosexuality, transgender issues, and abortion; āenvironmental worshipāplacing environmental issues/concerns above the value of Judeo-Christian principles and human lifeā; and teachings about occult practices, including witchcraft, Satanism, and āwizardry.ā
The parents say they want advance notice so they can either withdraw their children before the lesson or prepare them in advance.
The letter is spearheaded by PEACE (Public Education Advocates for Christian Equity) Hamilton, Ontario, a Christian parents group. Phil Lees, who heads PEACE, says āhundredsā of the letters have been delivered to schools in Toronto and Hamilton.
Weāve met with a half-dozen Muslim groups, and they are very passionate about this too,ā Lees said.
Meanwhile, a Greek Orthodox father has sued the Hamilton school board for refusing to warn him when his childrenās teachers plan to talk about family, marriage, or human sexuality.
Steve Tourloukis told reporters on September 10 that he only wants those issues taught to his first-grade daughter and fourth-grade son āfrom a Christian perspective.ā
Tourloukis is backed by the newly formed Parental Rights in Education Defense Fund, which is collecting money for parents who sue school boards over their āunconstitutional suppression of religious freedom and conscience rights.ā
āIf parents do not beat back this government incursion against parent rights,ā the groupās website says, āit will usher in an era of persecution against people of faith like never seen before in Canada.ā
School officials say parents can request their child be excused only from certain portions of sex education.
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