An investigation into a climate of fear at a Montreal primary school has reignited a debate about secularism in Quebec’s education system, with the provincial government pledging to consider new measures to keep religion out of classrooms.
Bedford Elementary School is shown in Montreal, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
But critics say the focus on religion is a red herring that distracts from the fact authorities let the situation at Bedford continue for years without taking action. The report found that teachers yelled at and humiliated students, and that some teachers didn't believe in learning disabilities and attributed students' difficulties to laziness. Subjects like science and sex education were either ignored or barely taught, and girls were prevented from playing soccer.
"Before saying that there is an issue of secularism or that there is an attempt by a religious movement to want to take control of one or more schools in Montreal, I have to be careful," he said. Investigations are underway at three other Montreal schools. On Wednesday, Drainville said he was looking into a fifth school following the publication of a news report about parents of North African origin who have decided to remove their child from the school over concerns about Muslim religious indoctrination.
Lampron said this week's debate reminds him of Quebec's reasonable accommodation crisis nearly 20 years ago, which was fuelled by public anxiety about minority groups. That crisis was driven in part by several incidents that received widespread media coverage, including accommodation for Muslim prayers at a traditional sugar shack, and a code of conduct for immigrants published in the hamlet of Hérouxville that was widely derided as Islamophobic.
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