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HWDSB EQUITY POLICY (EP) IN DEVELOPMENT
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HWDSB Equity Policy Update February 2007Hamilton-Wentworth Family Action Council (HWFAC) has followed the HWDSB's efforts to normalize, embrace and celebrate homosexual/bisexual conduct since a Meeting of the Trustees on Monday September 30, 2002 when the trustees voted to receive for information a document entitled, 'Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues in Education Resource List.' This list contained many objectionable materials designed to normalize homosexual/bisexual conduct while labeling those who oppose this conduct as heterosexists, homophobes and bigots.Since that evening, HWFAC on many occasions has expressed our concerns which have resulted in HWDSB assuring us that we are wrong about all of this and that the Equity Policy was simply going to be about discouraging the bullying of persons and helping individuals to achieve their maximum potential. In an e-mail dated November 20, 2002 to a trustee who shares our concerns, a superintendent from Executive Council wrote, "There is no Board plan to embed teaching about homosexuality in our schools, especially for young children." Unfortunately, this has not proven to be the case. Our August 2006 Newsletter informed our readers as to how the draft policy will empower the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community to identify barriers within the HWDSB school system which they believe prevent their community from 100% participation and then to re-design curriculum and program to ensure that each barrier is removed. When asked to identify 2 of these barriers, not even one could be named, thus the LGBT community will be entitled to re-design school program at will and continue to do so until they are satisfied. Try to imagine what the sex-education curriculum will look like after the LGBT community removes barriers when they believe that all consensual expression is good. Would this same opportunity to remove curriculum barriers be offered to the Judeo-Christian community? "Diverse and respectful, what does that mean?"Since that newsletter, the homosexual/bi-sexual push has continued. At the October 2, 2006 meeting, our Council and some other group members asked that the term 'bias-free teaching material' in Section 4.1 be replaced with 'diverse and respectful teaching material' as in reality, bias-free material does not exist. The LGBT community representative objected stating, "We are not comfortable with diverse and respectful, what does that mean." Under the direction of Bill Torrens the Committee rejected 'diverse and respectful' and adopted 'bias-free.' We again challenged this notion of 'bias-free' stating that having a positive position for something is a bias, as is having a negative position. The response was, "Positive bias is acceptable, discriminatory bias is not." In other words, HWDSB will affirm homosexual/bi-sexual bias but will not permit any evidence that shows the negative implications; students may think critically as long as it is gay positive. Essentially this amounts to homosexual/bi-sexual indoctrination and has nothing to do with critical thinking which considers all aspects and then based on the facts, determines an evidence-based position.Section 4.1 also contained the term 'evidence-based teaching' used in addressing sexual orientation and our Council supported this. Once again the LGBT community representative objected to this term stating, "The medical community has medical evidence against LGBT conduct and we don't want to see this expressed in the classroom." Bill Torrens stated, "If evidence from medical community bears negative implications, then this discriminatory bias must be excluded." In addition, Section 4.1 discussed, 'staff who choose' regarding the use of learning materials dealing with sexual orientations, the mention of choice was removed. HWDSB direction to eliminate 'diverse and respectful', 'staff choice' and `evidence-based teaching' is unacceptable. The exclusion of overwhelming medical evidence regarding the high-risks of infection associated with homosexual\bisexual conduct is criminal. Should HWDSB move to present homosexual/bisexual conduct as natural\normal\acceptable ...More ... |
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