Schools Req'd to notify parents before teaching evolution

[starseed]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/sto...s.html?ref=rss

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.

Excellent. Now I hope they would also inform me when my child is about to learn how to write, so that I may remove them from class. We all know that reading and writing are tools of Satan himself.

[JimmytheT]

Wow this will go a long way to dispel our image among other provinces of being redneck.

[HOZ]

Originally Posted by starseed

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/sto...s.html?ref=rss



Excellent. Now I hope they would also inform me when my child is about to learn how to write, so that I may remove them from class. We all know that reading and writing are tools of Satan himself.

First time I ever agreed with a dipper...

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.


Seriously, though, the gov't was stuck between a rock and a hard place. With a large Mormon population in the south of Alberta they were facing years and years of lawsuits and headaches if they didn't do this. It mean that Evolution will be taught but you (your kid) has/have the right to walk out. It was the easiest decision: to make no decision and throw the ball in another court.

[photon]

I was just going to post this.

Some other points of view:

http://www.chumirethicsfoundation.ca...hp?page_id=185

http://www.calgarysun.com/news/colum...99176-sun.html (linking to Rick Bell just made my skin crawl)

This is really dumb in my opinion.. parents already have the option to home school their kids, or put them in private schools of their choosing, to take it to this level..

What about pacifists, can they pull their kids out of any class that teaches about wars? I'm sure there's Albertans who believe the earth is the centre of the solar system, yank those kids from science! Physics, biology, paleontology.. can't have kids learning about dinosuars or plate tectonics!

Welcome to Texas North.

[MelBridgeman]

this is lame

[photon]

Here's how to find our MLA:

http://streetkey.elections.ab.ca/

Here's how to contact the "Education" Minister:

http://www.davehancock.ca/contact.html

And let Stelmach know what you think of this too:

http://www.premier.alberta.ca/contact/contact.cfm

[Thor]

Ack this is so embarrassing for Alberta.

Edit.

PZ Meyers has this story on his blog:

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2...ng_alberta.php

[onetwo_threefour]

It may be time to consider moving back to Ontario at this rate. I've got two young kids and this just reinforces feelings I already have about Alberta's educatin' system.

I want to know when they're going to explain the basis of Christian holidays so I can pull my kid out of school because I'm an atheist. I also want the public schools to teach on Good Friday.

When do my concerns get addressed Mr. Stelmach?

My mistake, it does alllow me to opt my kid out of religious instruction. Great...

Still, as one of the commenters on the article says, accoring to the test, why would evolution even be included in this, it is not religious or relating to sexuality.

[RogerWilco]

Embarrassing and Pathetic that is all I have to say.

[tanguay'sstillgood]

Sweet...does this mean when I teach Bio 20 I can skip over the evolution section? If not all kids have to take it, why the F__K would they leave it in the curriculum? So for the couple weeks I teach evolution related material Billy-Bob wanders the halls? If I want to actually ask evolution questions on the final exam, do I need to give Billy-Bob a different test so he can't appeal, saying he was distracted by a diagram of the fossil record? In Bio 30 can we still teach about mutations? Those are kinda related to that nasty evolution BS.

This is absolutely insane, and definitey a few steps backwards.

I always figured I would go back to BC to teach someday, but if this happens it'll have me sending applications out west a hell of a lot sooner than I had planned.

[HotHotHeat]

I'm not sure how exactly the government is in danger of being sued. . . A judge would throw out a religious protection claim in an educational setting. It's 20 fataing 09.

I. Hate. Ed. <--T-Shirt idea!

[Hemi-Cuda]

wow, this makes me want to move back to BC

[RogerWilco]

Don't move people, I have always voted conservative, but if this sort of thing goes through it is time to vote them out. This sort of thinking is a deal breaker for me.

[Jedi Ninja]

Not to be antagonistic, but who did you all vote for in the last election and why? We get the government we deserve.

[Kipper is King]

Being a Catholic, and a supporter of the Catholic school system, even I think this is silly.

Often, in trying to please everyone too much, you end up pleasing almost no one.

[CaptainCrunch]

Wow the next election will be interested as I don't think any of the Alberta provincial parties have capable leadership, or a clue about how to run a province.

Is it possible to vote for four years of anarchy?

[Joborule]

Honestly, what is the point of this? Was their any real public pressure to have this done in the first place?

I mean for goodness sake, it's a public school board! If the parents don't like the idea of their child learning about evolution. Can't they just take them to a private school or one that doesn't teach it? Or home school in general?

[Finny61]

those people would likely argue why do I have to fork tons of money to send my kid to private school. I'm not sayin' I'm just sayin'. But hey welcome to the wonderful world of political correctness, it screws all sides sometime.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Joborule

Can't they just take them to a private school or one that doesn't teach it? Or home school in general?

Privately or home schooled kids still have to learn the government curriculum and pass the tests.

If a parent really wants to undermine their kids education they can do it from home.

"Hey Suzie, you know that stuff they're teaching you in school about the Earth goin' round the Sun? Lies! No girl o' mine is gonna learn such nonsense."

[Dion]

Time to vote Liberal in the next prov election.