Here is comes: Catholic school board expels students for ‘homophobia’
The
Halton Catholic school board voted four to one Tuesday night to adopt a policy
update on disciplining students for “homophobia … and harassment on the basis
of sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation” which critics say will see
students suspended or expelled for stating Catholic teaching on homosexuality
and gender theory.
The
vote itself was a procedural violation since trustees had already voted down
the “progressive discipline” policy update last month by a vote of 4 to 3.
Trustee Anthony Danko argued vehemently at the June 21 meeting — to no avail —
that to reintroduce the policy in the same session was a breach of procedure,
according to a report by Tanya Granic Allen, President of Parents As First
Educators (PAFE).
Danko
also put forward a motion that a canon lawyer or board lawyer should define
“homophobia” in a Catholic context, a motion which was defeated.
As
for the “progressive discipline” policy, trustees Paul Marai, John Mark Rowe,
Diane Rabenda, and Arlene Iantomasi voted for it, while Anthony Quinn voted
against it.
Trustees
Danko, Helena Karabela and Susan
Trites abstained, on the grounds that the vote was against the will of the
board.
The
HCDSB amended its Code of Conduct six times in the last four years to conform
to the education ministry’s requirements for equal and inclusive schools, but
with this latest update, students who breach the Code of Conduct can be
punished with suspension and expulsion.
The
policy explicitly notes that under the Code of Conduct, the board “considers homophobia,
gender based violence, and harassment on the basis of sex, gender, gender
identity, sexual orientation…unacceptable.”
LifeSiteNews
had not heard back from trustees Quinn or Danko by deadline.
Quinn
told LifeSiteNews in
an earlier interview that he voted against the policy in May because under its
terms, students could be found in violation of the Code by simply stating the teachings
of the Catholic Church, if they made other students uncomfortable by doing so.
That
can “easily” happen under this policy, confirmed Catholic lawyer Geoff Cauchi.
“It’s
dangerous, because it will be used to discipline students and teachers who do
nothing more than state the Catholic Church’s teaching on subjects such as
homosexuality and gender theory, and state their support for it in a civil
manner,” he told LifeSiteNews.
“And
this is absurd for a system whose very purpose is to lead people to accept the
teachings of the Catholic Church.”
Cauchi
agrees that the policy should have clarified “a Catholic understanding of
homophobia,” and stated explicitly that “the Catholic Church does not accept
gender theory.”
It
should also have included “a conditional clause” that “in no circumstances
would a teacher or student be disciplined for stating Catholic teaching on the
subject of homosexuality and gender theory, and expressing support for [that
teaching] in a civil manner.”
Quinn
also noted that the board’s former policy was more than sufficient.
Last
updated in January 2015, that policy outlined as “standards of behavior” for
students regarding gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation
that:
• Students must “promote a positive
school climate that is inclusive and accepting of all pupils, including pupils
of any… gender expression, gender identity,…sex, or sexual orientation.”
• Students must “respect and treat
others fairly, regardless of…gender, gender expression, gender identity,… or
sexual orientation.”
PAFE’s
Granic Allen echoed this: “Let’s be clear — there was already a stringent
discipline policy in place which included parameters such as sexual
orientation, gender identity and gender expression.”
“We’re
talking about a Catholic school board, where they are supposed to promote
Catholic faith and morals,” added Granic Allen. “By promoting this discipline
policy, students could be suspended from school just for being Catholic. The
fact that some trustees openly said this wasn’t their first concern was
scandalous.”
After
the Halton trustees rejected the policy in May, then-Education Minister Liz
Sandals told the Toronto Star she would investigate the matter, since “gender
identity and gender expression are now included as prohibited grounds of
discrimination under the Ontario Human Rights Code.”
Cauchi,
however, said that the policy contravenes two sections of the Education Act.
One of these calls for teachers to show by “precept and example, respect for
religion and virtues,” which, he said, “presumably would include chastity.”
The
other section decrees that the ministry’s powers “shall be exercised in a
manner that respects the denominational rights of Catholics,” Cauchi noted.
“So
what the ministry requires is a contravention of the Act,” he said. And
Catholic trustees, by passing the policy, have also contravened the Act.
Teachers
in the Catholic system could also be targeted for fidelity to the Church’s
teaching, Cauchi said, pointing to the Edmonton teacher under
investigation by the Catholic board there, following complaints made by two
teens who are being raised by a lesbian couple.
“We
know, from several examples, that Catholic teachers are already themselves
being disciplined for merely teaching in the classroom what any legitimate
Catholic school system is mandated to teach.
About
50 people were present at the June 21 meeting to protest the policy, reported
PAFE. And ad hoc group Halton Family and Life Association launched an online petition against the policy which had garnered 532 signatures
at last count.