A school district on Prince Edward Island plans to continue passing out Bibles to students despite the complaint of a parent, who wanted the program to be scrapped.
"I'll be held responsible for my child's belief system, not the schools," said parent Michael Arsenault to CBC. He is not against religion and claims to have religious books at home, but doesn't like the school getting involved.
Arsenault's daughter attends the public L.M. Montgomery Elementary School in Charlottetown. It is one of many Island schools which have been passing out Bibles given by the Gideons, a non-denominational Christian organization, for 46 years. If parents don't want their children to receive the book they must submit an opt out form.
Arsenault may not like the idea, but Eastern School Board Superintendent Ricky Hood said the program will continue.
"We don't see it as an educational issue because we don't spend any time in class," said Hood to The Guardian. Just because one parent complains about something doesn't mean we are going to stop the program.
According to Hood, parents with complaints about any program are usually referred to the school administration, who then decides if it is a service they want.
He said it is a service just like other programs they provide such as Girl Guides, basketball or hockey. The teachers just send the Bibles home and they don't do any teaching in the classroom. "We leave that to the home for the parents who want them."
Each province and in some cases each school board has the choice of how to handle the issue of passing out Bibles in school. In Ontario, boards decide for themselves after Premier Dalton McGuinty passed over responsibility.
According to Gideons, the same group who give Bibles to hotels, fewer school want the books. "There has certainly been a steady increase in the past couple of decades of schools closing their doors," said Gideons spokesperson Kelvin Warkentin to the National Post. "Due to the religious fabric of our country being re-woven," boards are re-evaluating their relationship with Gideons and often cutting the programs after complaints.
Gideons began passing out Bibles to grade five students in Canada in 1946.
As for Arsenault's complaint, Hood told CBC there is nothing in the School Act that contradicts the program and this is the first complaint he has received about it. People regularly complain to the board about many different issues, but he told The Guardian, "We don't stop doing things because someone doesn't like it."
(Getty Images)
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