ETFO Targets Hamilton's Children
December 2002
By way of cover letter dated Tuesday August 20, 2002, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) issued a document entitled ‘Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues in Education Resource List'. This document was created by the ETFO for use by their members. The stated premise for the resource list was "to create safe and equitable learning and teaching environments for all students and educators, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender."
On September 30, 2002, at a meeting of the trustees, trustees agreed to receive this list for information. Three years ago when Hamilton -Wentworth Family Action Council presented vital and wholesome information regarding the advantages and benefits of marriage, it too was received for information, but to the best of our knowledge was then filed away and never forwarded to any teacher or added to any resource list. When Superintendent Croxall was questioned by a trustee as to what the intentions were for the ETFO resource list, she stated, "there is a committee looking at the possible use of these resources in various subjects - Health, Geography, etc."
While promoting safety seems to be a worthy cause, one only has to look to the opening page of the resource list to uncover the actual agenda. The following is the opening paragraph:
Rationale
- At the 2001 Annual Meeting of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, the following motions were passed:
- 117 - That ETFO encourage district school boards to establish funding to be provided to each school, upon request, for the specific purpose of purchasing materials for student use, which reflect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender realities.
- 138 - That ETFO Locals be encouraged to establish a fund for the specific purpose of addressing homophobia and heterosexism.
It is clear by the ETFO's rationale that the actual agenda of the ETFO is not to promote safety, but rather to inflict elementary school children with teachings which are supportive of deviant sexual behaviours. This agenda aims to have innocent children as young as 4 years embrace sexually deviant, physically destructive, emotionally crippling and spiritually damning behaviour as normal and/or acceptable. As can be seen in item 138, the ETFO regards parents who do not support their agenda as suffering from the mental illness of homophobia and accuses them of holding a heterosexist attitude.
Some of the resources on the list include:
- Challenging Homophobia: A K to 12 Resource for Educators, Counselors and Administrators to Aid in the Support of, Education About Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youths and Families
- Rainbows and Triangles: A Curriculum Document for Challenging Homophobia and Heterosexism in the K - 6 Classroom
- Safely out: Activities to Challenge Homophobia in School
HWFAC has responded to the ETFO with an 8-page document which clearly spells out our desire for safe schools and classrooms where a safe school is described as a place where:
- Children feel safe to attend;
- Parents feel safe to send their children; and
- Teachers are mandated to sanction only behaviours which are safe, exclusive of all others.
In all three aspects, ‘safe' applies to the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of each student.
We encourage every concerned family to act immediately in any one or all of the following ways:
- Pray that God would miraculously intervene in this situation;
- Contact your trustee and firmly express your concern, request a written response;
- Contact Merv Matier, Director of Education and express your concern, request a written response
- Submit a Declaration of Family Rights Document to your child's teacher and emphasize your concern with the ETFO's agenda (Declaration available from HWFAC)
- Begin to seek out alternative forms of education outside of the Public School Board and inform your trustee that you are doing so.
- Write letters to the editors of the local newspapers
- Express your concerns on radio and television open line shows
- Inform others.
HWFAC has already invested considerable time and effort in researching, preparing and distributing the 8-page response and it can be made available to those who are committed to taking action. We believe it is important that all concerned parents get involved immediately. For a copy of the HWFAC response, please contact Jim Enos at the email address below
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