Vote: Should parents have the right to know if their child is in a gay straight alliance?
After two weeks of intense debate, Alberta legislature has passed Bill 24 that will strengthen gay-straight alliances (GSA).
The passed bill makes it clear that teachers and school officials cannot tell parents if their child is in a GSA unless there are extreme circumstances in which the parent needs to be involved, such as the student being in threat of direct harm.
The point of contention that was raised by the United Conservative Party was that teachers should have the right to inform parents if their child is in a GSA if the educator thinks it is necessary, not just necessarily under extreme circumstances. Their argument was that the teacher should be the arbiter of deciding what is in the best interest for the student, which might mean informing a parent of the students involvement in the club.
Critics of the argument proposed by the UCP have said that informing parents of a child’s involvement in the club could be tantamount to ‘outing’ a student before they are ready. The passing of Bill 24 will now prohibit that.
