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December 2008
The Ethics and Religious Culture Course: as Compulsory as Attending School?
Since September 2008, all Quebec students must take the Ethics and Religious Culture course. Not everyone agrees with imposing this course on children. Some parents have attended protest marches. Others turned to the courts. Some even want to remove their children from the class while the course is being taught. What does the
Education Act have to say about this?
No Longer Optional
Until last year, there was a choice between Catholic (or Protestant) religious and moral instruction, and moral education. These options have been abolished and replaced with the new Ethics and Religious Culture course, which aims, amongst other things, at teaching students about some of the religions of their fellow citizens.
The right to choose no longer exists. But parents who disagree can ask a school board to exempt their children from the Ethics and Religious Culture course. They must show that the child would suffer serious harm if he or she were forced to attend that class.
So what does “serious harm” mean? There isn’t a clear answer right now. The courts will be called upon to clarify the issue.
Unexcused Absences
Some parents believe they should simply remove their children from the class if the school board refuses to give them an exemption.
However, in Quebec, children between 6 and 16 years of age must attend school. Parents must even take measures to ensure that their children attend. There are certain situations that allow a student to get out of this compulsory school attendance, such as:
- illness
- the school expelled the student
- the student is home schooled, and is getting an education that the school board finds equivalent to the one provided at school
School principals must keep track of each student’s absences. If a student is repeatedly absent, a principal will intervene to correct the situation. If the student is still repeatedly absent, the principal must notify the student and parents in writing, and then report the situation to the director of youth protection.
