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Alberta gov't to make evolution classes optional under proposed law.
Morgenstern
ICH BIN DER PESTVOGELDU KAMPFAFFE!Registered User regular
ICH BIN DER PESTVOGELDU KAMPFAFFE!Registered User regular
A controversial Alberta bill will enshrine into law the rights of parents to pull their children out of classes discussing the topics of evolution and homosexuality.
The new rules, which would require schools to notify parents in advance of "subject-matter that deals explicitly with religion, sexuality or sexual orientation," is buried in a bill that extends human rights to homosexuals. Parents can ask for their child to be excluded from the discussion.
"This government supports a very, very fundamental right and that is parental rights with respect to education," said Premier Ed Stelmach.
Although Stelmach has confirmed the bill will give parents the authority to exclude their kids from classes if the topic of evolution comes up, Education Minister Dave Hancock said it won't change anything.
"With respect to values, religion and sex education have always been areas of concern for parents, and they've always been areas parents have had the right to be notified about and to exempt their students from," Hancock said.
Debate over Alberta's international image
Frank Bruseker, the head of the Alberta Teachers' Association, is meeting with Hancock on Monday to raise his concerns.
"If parents don't want that kind of education for their children they have a couple of options," Bruseker said. "One would be home schooling or private school. So for a public school to start excluding based on religious preference, I think is a mistake."
Bruseker said it would be difficult for teachers to avoid the topic of evolution in science or geography classes.
The proposed legislation has touched off a debate about just what kind of image Alberta's government is trying to create around the world.
NDP Leader Brian Mason likened the bill to Alberta recently using a photo of a British beach in an ad to promote the province.
"This government just spent $25 million of taxpayers money to give Alberta a new image. All they've done is make Alberta look like Northumberland and sound like Arkansas," Mason said.
The new legislation could be passed within a few weeks.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2009/04/30/cgy-bill-evolution-law-alberta-classes-teachers.html
What makes me laugh about this is that in the same bill that meant to expand human rights to homosexuals in Texberta (I mean, Alberta), they want to allow parents the ability to pull kids out of classes where homosexuality is discussed.
"We don't like fags and our kids don't gotta learn about them!"
“Every time we walk along a beach some ancient urge disturbs us so that we find ourselves shedding shoes and garments or scavenging among seaweed and whitened timbers like the homesick refugees of a long war.” - Loren Eiseley
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My fragile little world, crushed.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Especially our government.
Texas North, Canada's Anus
God I hate this shit-hole
...seriously?
Supposedly this won't change anything regarding the curriculum, but I'd like to know how a child who's been pulled out of the evolution unit in grade 12 biology is going to be able to write a standardized final that includes a large section on evolution and genetics.
Biology is the science of :winky:
You're not alone.
I thought we were striving toward evolution being okay mixed in with religion. Nice going Alberta. Nice going, Canada. Always have room to blame you guys! <.<
It's a fair question. People that somehow force the comparison between evolution and religion are applying science to the supernatural. And science is completely unrelated to the supernatural.
What I'm saying is make fun of Alabama.
I did the same thing.
What the hell, Canada, you're not supposed to be... southern.
I did this as well.
Evolution is considered to be subject-matter that deals explicitly with religion, because to teach evolution apparently requires you start off with a fifteen minute diatribe about how christians are teh lamez
That's like saying we shouldn't teach language or the history thereof because in reality God didn't give us all one magical language and then take it away because we were naughty.
Teaching kids how evolution works does not require teaching them that creationists are retards; it just teaches them what they need to know to reach that conclusion on their own. Non-issue.
Clearly you've never heard the conservative end of the argument. Allow me to attempt.
Ahem.
"NUH-UH! YOU'RE A STUPID DOODY-HEAD AND YOU'RE GONNA BURN IN HELL BECAUSE MY GOD TOLD ME SO AND HE'S AWESOME AND COOL AND IS TOTALLY REAL AND NOT MADE UP AT ALL OR ANYTHING! AND HE SAID THAT HE MADE THE WORLD THE WAY IT IS NOW, AND THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS PEOPLE COMING FROM MONKEYS! ARE YOU CALLING ME A MONKEY? YOU'RE A MONKEY! I'M NOT A MONKEY!"
That's pretty close.
Which is messed up, because this bill apparently is going to both simultaneously recognize sexual orientation in Alberta's human rights legislation and give parents the right to completely insulate their children from knowing anything about it.
Don't get me wrong, Alberta is a beautiful province, and has some fantastic people. However, the politics and social mindset are completely foreign to me. When I completed my degree (via distance while working), I had a pretty hard choice on whether to stay with a stable job or move on somewhere else. I took the later option, and while I may not be better off financially, it was definitely the right choice.
Like you, I couldn't picture raising a family there, not in that social environment.
Just homeschool them if you want to control everything they're exposed to and shelter them from ideas you don't like.
/Albertan
Or, you know...private school.
I mean...my god...I'm just staggered
Edit: Oh wait, I think I can hear something in the distance. Yeah...definitely....I can hear the banjos a duelin'
I never finish anyth
Nope, sorry.
Alberta is Canada's Texas. They hate Ontario for being bigger then them. The hate Quebec because it's bigger then them AND French.
And really we don't hate Ontario, just Toronto. Hating Toronto is more of a sport, or the one unifying force that brings together Canadians from coast to coast to coast.
On and The Arrogant Worms are from Ontario, so that song in more in the realm of satirical comedy, or irony.
I never finish anyth
Don't know why people think it is.
So he should home school his children because of the school's policy towards teaching evolution? Irony.
It makes me feel slightly less awkward as an American