Students in Catholic school not required to attend religious programs

[_myaugust]

A student at a Catholic high school in Brampton, Ont. has been exempted from attending his school’s religious programs by an Ontario Superior Court ruling.

The student’s father, Oliver Erazo, fought the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board to exempt him from religious liturgies and retreats, including mass, under provisions in Ontario’s

Comments

[liliaeth]

I don't know, but I'm against this.

I wouldn't think to be able to send my children to a Muslim or Jewish school and expect them to be exempt of the religious part of the school, so why should parents be allowed to force the same on a catholic school?

And if this catholic school is so much better than the regular public one, then why not strive for the community to put more money towards the non-religious centered schools and improve them?

[victorialupin]

IA about Muslim and Jewish schools, but those aren't publicly funded here. Considering that Catholic schools here are publicly-funded, have to accept non-Catholic students, and many of them make religious classes optional (students can often take philosophy instead), IMO it's understandable to also make religious services optional to attend.

And "striving for the community to put more money towards the non-religious centered schools" isn't exactly an easy task, and certainly couldn't just be accomplished by the family in question. It's not as if the community directly makes funding decisions. Schools are funded by the province, and the Peel School Board, the public board in this area, is one of the largest it Ontario, serving roughly 150, 000 students.

[ebay313]

Why not though? Especially if those schools are publicly funded, why shouldn't non-religious or folks of different religions have access to a better school that they are funding?

Though even if they aren't, what really is the big deal if religious schools had the religious component only as an option rather than an obligation, so that parents could choose the school that fit their kid best without religion needing to be a factor? Particularly when considering that these are schools that are not attempting to restrict students attending to those of a particular religion. If the best school in an area was a Muslim school, that welcomed non-Muslim students- why shouldn't a student of another religion be able to attend without being forced to attend religious services?

[chaya]

Publicly funded is publicly funded. If the school is desperate to make its students attend religious things they can find their own cash.

[ebay313]

If it's publicly funded then it absolutely shouldn't require the religious activities, IMO. Reading this it did make me wonder about how this might look with US Catholic schools, even though they are private here.
I actually kind of like the idea of saying schools can't force religious classes or activities.
But then, it's also interesting because as mentioned, so many people choose Catholic schools for non-religious reasons, if so many students did opt out of the religious portions... what is the point of it being a Catholic school anymore? (I guess other than having the options. Which is good for those who are practicing, since it means kids don't have to go to Catechism after school.)

[fabrisse]

Back in the 70s, my parents sent my sister and me to a Catholic Junior School. It was in the US, so not publicly funded, but, as the only Protestants in the school we had to attend first Friday Mass, although I was allowed to sit in the back and read, and we were exempted from religion class when we started.

Halfway through the year, the principal called my parents and said our fellow students were upset that we got out of the most boring class in school and they didn't. My parents discussed it with me (I was the older and in 5th grade), and I said I didn't mind. I was the only kid in my class with a straight A in religion because it was all new to me and therefore fascinating. *G*

[ebay313]

lol. I went to a Catholic K-8 school and a Catholic High School. All students, Catholic or not, had to attend classes and mass (and pay attention and participate in mass) at both. The only thing non-Catholic students were exempted from where sacraments.