PUBLIC for ALTERNATIVE COMMUNITY EDUCATION - PACE
Traditional Judeo-Christian Values Program
A Program of Innovation under Consideration by the HWDSB
(Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board), Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
PRESENTATION
" Alternative programming has a positive impact on school achievement, our top priority.
Our community, much like populations throughout the United States, is extremely diverse, and
public education should reflect that diversity. This comes down to the fundamental belief to
serve all children, we need to meet their unique needs."
Emory Dosdal, Deputy Minister of Education, British Columbia, Past-Superintendent of Education,
Edmonton Public Schools - American Association of School Administrators - magazine -
The School Administrator - May 2001
PACE Current Proposal
Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, October 4, 2001
Opening greetings and introductions.
Who are the families represented by PACE? Public for Alternative Community Education
represents families that characterize themselves as members of the conservative, traditional,
Christian culture of Hamilton-Wentworth.
Not all families expressing an interest in the PACE proposal attend church, but the majority
come from a wide range of church affiliations including;
- Baptist, Lutheran, Anglican, United, Pentecostal, Nazarene, Associated Gospel, Missionary
Alliance, Seventh Day Adventist, Mennonite, Free Methodist, Presbyterian, Salvation Army,
Roman Catholic, Orthodox Catholic, Various Reformed denominations, Inter-denominational,
and non-denominational. In addition we have met people who do not associate themselves with
a particular church, but would like to have their children educated in a more conservative,
traditional environment.
The purpose of this presentation is to introduce the trustees to the background reasons that
have lead to the writing of the PACE proposal. Included in the presentation are some details
about the socially conservative lifestyle of many of the families.
As the lifestyle is described, please understand that no judgement being made of those who
choose to live in different ways. Certain aspects of the belief systems of this group are
shared openly to assist trustees and administrators to understand the educational, familial,
and social issues that affect the children of these families being educated in our schools.
Why are we here?
Traditional conservative families who closely follow the teachings of their faith are admonished
to live in certain ways. As society has become more secular, these families tend to avoid
things which conflict with their faith. As an example, because of the increased violence and
sexually suggestive programming, some of these families do not own a television set. Many may
own televisions, but do not subscribe to cable. All of these families have very stringent
limitations placed on the use of the TV in the home. These limitations apply to the adults
as well as the children.
In the past ten years, as education has become more secular, many of these families are
finding that curriculum materials and/or methods of program delivery, which may be acceptable
to others, conflict with their beliefs. They are concerned about, and often offended by
materials which undermine and cause damage to the belief system of their children.
Examples of Conflicts
The following examples help to clarify how this does occur.
- The first example is the issue of literary and media materials. This area appears to be the
most frequent concern. Objections to literary and media materials may be due to:
- profanity within the materials,
- a negative view given by the author to traditional lifestyles and belief systems, or
- may endorse behaviors that are considered inappropriate for people living in these
traditional Christian cultures.
- Society's Fascination With Evil or Other Spiritual Realms:
The second area has to do with society's fascination with and acceptance of evil and other
spiritual issues which these families find to be diametrically opposed to Christianity.
Activities and materials, associated with the New Age religions (which are diametrically
opposed to Christianity) are also present in schools. The following is a short list of the
terms and activities which are found, occur directly or indirectly, in school:
Mother Earth; Psychic Energy; Mind Power; Astrology; The tarot; Palmistry; Visualizations;
Holistic Health; Yoga; Astrology. some martial arts, offensive music, horoscopes, horror
movies and books.
Many of the families we are dealing with are offended by this type of material because their
faith requires them to avoid counter spiritual issues.
- The last example lies in the area of sex education. Conservative Christian families, hold
very strongly to the practice of sexual purity. If a sex education curriculum teaches a child,
that if they choose to be sexually active then they need to use a condom, this is perceived as a
threat to the child's belief system.
This does not mean that the topic of contraception should not be addressed. It should be
addressed in a way that reinforces the belief system of the students.
RESPONSE OF THE BOARD TO THESE ISSUES
When these issues have been presented to the Board, the Board has responded in good faith to
the needs presented by families, however we need to evaluate the effectiveness of the
accommodations.
Alternative Assignment Policy
To address the issue of sensitive literary materials, the school board does have an alternative
assignment policy. For materials parents find objectionable, and express concern to the teacher,
an alternative assignment may be given. We appreciate this consideration, however there are
some difficulties implementing such a policy:
- Parents are often not aware the policy exists;
- The monitoring of these materials is now another added responsibility
for parents. These parents are concerned because they are not present in the classroom and
offensive materials may be used without their knowledge.
- Children do not want to be ostracized for being different. An alternative novel and
assignment can draw negative attention from the other students.
- Parents often do not want to cause problems for the system and will not say anything,
yet there is stress within the home, and the individual, as a result;
- The alternative assignment means an extra work load for the teacher;
- As the alternative assignment is independently done, the child is not part of the full
class sharing activities.
In the area of sex education, the School Board has responded by allowing students to be excused
from classes and topics found to be offensive. This solution, although an attempt to address
the issue, does create other problems. If a child is exempted, they are often placed in the hall,
or outside the office. As a result, parents are hesitant to have their children put into a
position where they will again be ostracized. Thus this accommodation can be interpreted as a
form of "institutional pressure" where both parents and students feel they must conform.
ARGUMENT: It is often argued , "But if you don't expose these
children, they will not survive in the real world."
The goal of these families is not to prevent their children from ever encountering these issues,
but to prevent the introduction of these issues until their children are at a spiritual maturity and able to respond in a way that does not compromise their beliefs.
Parental Options
Until now public school supporters wanting their children educated in an environment that
supports their values had three options:
- send them to private Christian schools at considerable expense;
- enrol them in Catholic schools, where non-Catholics are not really wanted; or
- home school.
All of these options have their difficulties. For many, the private education option is
financially out of the question, even with the tax credit, and many of these families do
not favour the segregation from the rest of the community. Catholic schools are usually full,
and are hestitant to accept non-Catholics because accommodating non-Catholics within a Catholic
school could have a negative affect on the catholicity of the school system. Home schooling,
for many working families is not an option.
Within the past 10 years our schools have become increasingly secular and thus offensive to
these families. Christian families, who feel that their children would be best served in a
school environment that meets Ministry of Education Guidelines from a Christian perspective,
have left the public school system. As a result, the Public School System is faced with some
fiscal difficulties.
Our research suggests that there could be other options.
The provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario all have
publicly funded alternative education programs that are based on cultural or religious needs.
It is interesting to note, parents with children in the Public French Immersion schools,
have fewer concerns over these secular issues. They report that their Christian values are
often supported as demonstrated by annual traditional Christmas concerts, traditional Easter
celebrations and other ways in which their beliefs are supported. When we asked French immersion
consultants why these types of activities existed in the French Immersion schools, the response
was, " that is their culture and no one complains."
Public School systems in Ontario have established alternative programs to meet cultural and
religious needs. Examples of these include:
- alternative native cultural programs (which include spiritual issues),
- Grand Erie District has a Mexican-Mennonite program,
- Niagara District School Board offers a religious alternative high school ....Eden High
School
- Upper Grand District hosts an Old Order Mennonite school,
- In Stratton, Ontario the elementary equivalent to Niagara's Eden High School can be found.
We believe in a strong public school system. Encouraged by parents, the Hamilton-Wentworth
P.A.C.E. Society was established to serve parents who would like to have their children
educated in a Christian-classroom-environment within the public school system.
The P.A.C.E. Society is supportive of public education. Allowing more choice and flexibility
will not weaken or fragment public education but rather strengthen it, both by attracting
families back to the system and by better meeting the desires of a significant number of
other families within the system.
In Edmonton Public Schools, 11 alternative Christian programs exist. More than 70 percent of
the 2800 students are students returning to the public school system. Senior management in
Edmonton have communicated that of the 32 alternative programs, the Christian Alternative
program is the fastest growing. They specifically identify it as the one program that has
held off the need for Charter schools. If a School Board is meeting the needs of the people,
the people do not need to petition the Minister of Education for a Charter school, and put
their time and energies into supporting the programs that they value.
Compare to Protocol
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board has also recognized the importance of creating
schools of choice. It was encouraging to see the Education Committee approve the " Decision
Making Protocol for Alternative Programs ". The Board needs to be commended for taking such
bold steps to invite community-based alternative program proposals. This truly puts action to
the words ...... Commitment to the Community.
As you are aware, the Hamilton-Wentworth PACE Society has prepared an initial proposal and
supporting documents. These were distributed to trustees through the summer. At this time I
would like to refer to the chart that compares the proposal to the protocol.
COMPARISON CHART
Protocol Item with PACE Proposal
- location at the discretion of the Board - absolutely.
- Operational Guidelines - The Pace program will operate under the jurisdiction and
authority of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and shall be
subject to such rules and regulations as the Board shall determine.
- no stand alone full-school program
- our preference is to have a number of programs throughout the
city that co-exist with regular programs. Thus filling a school that may
be in danger of closing, and making it more economically feasible.
- Most of these families do not support having their children
segregated from society. Having their values supported in the classroom,
but still be part of the regular school for recess, sports, etc., is
valued by these families.
- No alternative program may have a separate alternative collective
agreement
- alternative programs exist in Edmonton and elsewhere in Ontario
without separate alternative collective agreement
- respect existing human resources policies -absolutely
- Operational Guidelines
- The Pace program will operate under the jurisdiction and
authority of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and shall be
subject to such rules and regulations as the Board shall determine.
- Must meet student achievement and accountability expectations
- research supports that students in an environment they have
chosen perform 1.4 grade levels higher. (Economist magazine , January
2001)
- " Alternative programming has a positive impact on school
achievement, our top priority. Our community, much like populations
throughout the United States, is extremely diverse, and public education
should reflect that diversity. This comes down to the fundamental belief
that, to serve all children, we need to meet their unique needs."
Emory Dosdal, Deputy Minister of Education, British Columbia American Association of
School Administrators magazine - The School Administrator - May 2001
- school council representatives - agreed
- name of program - PACE Alternative Education Program
- vision, goals and objectives - page 2 & 3 of proposal
- curriculum and program focus (What makes it Alternative) - See "Distinguishing
Features of the PACE Alternative Program " pp. 4 - 7 - The fundamental purpose of the
PACE Program is to raise children in an environment that does not negate, neutralize or
trivialize the traditional Christian values of the home.
- Grades involved - To begin with grades 1 to 8. JK/SK and Secondary, possibly if the
demand requires.
- admission and over subscription process -
- all students are accepted
- parents sign a statement indicating they have read and
understand the philosophy and that they are choosing to send their child
to this alternative program
- resources required for start up , and cost for implementation
- Edmonton has found that for all alternative programs they provide
a one-time start up infusion of $250 per child. This is intended to
purchase materials to get the program started.
- after this start-up infusion the programs are operated on the
same per-pupil allotment as all other regular school programs
- research indicates that most often the costs to operate these
types of schools actually fall
- in a school that a child has chosen to attend, there is greater
respect for the facilities, and less vandalism.
- staff required - there has been considerable interest expressed to us by staff
presently working within the HWDSB to teach in this type of alternative
program
- program monitoring and review -
- proposal suggests that the PACE Society would be interested in assisting with
the monitoring and review process
- Monitoring and review process needs to be detailed
- transportation - as per board policy
- Alignment with:
- the Education Act - See Frequently Asked Questions #3, 4, 5 for details.
- Reg 171 (s7) School Boards have the authority to determine the
kinds and numbers of schools
- Fully supports Reg 264 (1c) - teachers will inculcate by precept
and example respect for Judaeo-Christian principles such as ........, and all other virtues.
- Some concern has been expressed over Reg 298 (27, 29, 29) - Religion in Schools Act.
This seems to depend upon the interpretation of the Board. Many
Boards have programs based upon cultural & religious differences.
To alleviate any concern, we are discussing this with the Ministry
of Education to get direction.
NOTE- Reg 298 was put into place to prevent people within a mixed
faith public school from being offended by the teachings of faiths that
are in conflict with their own. These classrooms will be of homogenous
faith groups where people will not be offended.
- Ontario Curriculum Guidelines - the pedagogical base is the Ontario provincial
curriculum (p 2 or proposal)
- Policies and Procedures of the Board - yet to be determined by senior management
- Boards Commitment to the Community - this is a wonderful demonstration of the Boards interest and
commitment to the cultural diversity of the community
- collective agreements and community partnerships
- program viability - can exist in many locations where a school may be half full
- financial viability - to date 52% of the 360 families representing almost 700 children
are families willing to return to the public school system
- majority of the respondents are from the east Hamilton, east Mountain, West Stoney Creek
communities where the Public Information Roundtable occurred. Once similar events are held
throughout the district, the numbers should be in excess of 2000.
- It is also interesting to note that many families are taking a
"wait and see" position. If, after two years, the program is successful,
they will seriously consider the PACE option.
- academic viability - research supports that students in an environment they have
chosen perform 1.4 grade levels higher. (Economist magazine , January 2001 " Alternative
programming has a positive impact on school achievement, our top priority. Our community, much
like populations throughout the United States, is extremely diverse, and public education
should reflect that diversity. This comes down to the fundamental belief
to serve all children, we need to meet their unique needs." Emory Dosdal, Deputy Minister
of Education, British Columbia American Association of School Administrators magazine -
The School Administrator - May 2001)
- partnership viability - to be determined
- expansion viability - to be determined
Trustees must ask, Is there a need for choice in public education? Many
in our community are saying " Yes!" Our Hamilton Spectator Editorial Board
in a column last July wrote "let's investigate this possibility". Recent
polls demonstrate 71 percent of the population favour Charter schools, because
Charter schools are a way of gaining some choice.
The executive of PACE want to make it very clear that our preferred way
to address our needs is not by petitioning the Minister of Education for
a Charter to operate a stand alone school. Charter schools, draw people
away from and further weaken the public education system and our
community. We see a great advantage in a strong public school system
that listens to the needs of the public and works with community to
provide choice.
Much can be learned from Edmonton Public School's experience. Alberta
has more choice in Education than any other province: a government that
supports home schooling, private schools supported by a sixty percent
tax credit, Charter schools, Catholic schools, and public education. In
the shadows of all this competition Edmonton offers 32 alternative
education programs based upon culture, religion, or teaching approach.
As a result of being sensitive to the needs of the people, Edmonton
Public School District, educates 87 percent of the school-age student
population.
By comparison, Calgary families have the same choices. The Calgary
Public School Board would not embrace the alternative school models. As
a result, Calgary parents petitioned the Ministry of Ed and received
Charters to operate 10 schools. These Charter schools have drawn
students away from the Calgary Public Board to the point where community
schools are being forced to close.
The citizens of Hamilton have a tremendous opportunity. We possess all
of the components to make for a greater public education system -
- resources, in the form of families willing to return to a system that
will accommodate for their needs,
- community schools that are partially full and would benefit from more
students,
- a school board that is interested in the diverse needs of the
community and possesses the necessary infrastructure to broaden the
client base;
- community groups willing to work hard to partner with the Board and
the schools to create these alternatives;
- a proposal, that has been tested and proven effective, for creating
alternative programs that meet the unique needs of the families in our
diverse community.
As an educational community, we must make a decision:
- We can sit back and blame all of the school closure problems on Mr. Harris. If we continue
this path Charter schools will become a reality, OR
- Together we can aggressively respond to legislative changes by
competing in the educational market place via alternative programs that
meet the needs of the diverse cultures in this community.
It is our hope and our prayer that the trustees of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School
Board agree that second alternative is the preferred method.