Schools are sacrificing our kids’ education for political activism

School boards and activist teachers must stop trading academic standards for political indoctrination

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Public schools must serve all students. This applies regardless of political ideologies or religious beliefs teachers and their students might personally hold.

In practical terms, this means teachers will have students in their classrooms whose families hold beliefs that differ from their own. For example, Christian teachers teach students who are atheists, and atheist teachers will undoubtedly teach students from a variety of faith perspectives.

By the same token, progressive teachers must provide an education to students from conservative families, while conservative teachers will undoubtedly teach students with progressive beliefs. In every case, it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that all students, regardless of their beliefs, are welcomed and treated fairly in the classroom.

Importantly, the same principle applies to school administrators. Principals must ensure that they work effectively with all teachers on their staff, even those whose political and religious beliefs differ from their own. Similarly, superintendents have a similar responsibility to ensure that their school division doesn’t get caught up in political controversy.

Education ministers in Ontario and Alberta recently issued directives intended to reinforce this reality. Specifically, Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra sent a letter to all school boards reminding them that graduation ceremonies should focus on students’ academic achievement rather than divisive or contentious issues.

In simple terms, Calandra was reminding school leaders that parents and other community members do not attend graduation ceremonies to be lectured on the perils of colonization or reminded of conflicts in the Middle East. Rather, graduation ceremonies must focus entirely on the academic achievement of students who have achieved an important milestone. It is neither the time nor the place for political advocacy.

Meanwhile, Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides recently introduced Bill 25 in the Legislature, An Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms and Amend the Education Act. Among other things, Bill 25 will require teachers to be neutral and impartial when delivering lessons to students.

Bill 25 will also prevent school authorities from taking public positions on political, social, or ideological matters outside their area of jurisdiction. Currently, there’s no shortage of school boards across Canada doing exactly that, from Edmonton Public Schools trustees demanding that the province amend the Education Act to include so-called “undocumented” students, to the Greater Victoria School Board in British Columbia declaring a “climate emergency” and encouraging other school boards to follow their lead.

It’s disappointing that Bill 25 is receiving pushback. The Alberta Teachers’ Association issued a statement calling Bill 25 a “clickbait title” and claiming that the bill has very little to do with politics or ideology in the classroom. Meanwhile, University of Alberta professor Lynette Schulz denounced Bill 25 as “authoritarian” and argued that this bill would make it difficult for teachers to engage with students on controversial topics.

However, this concern only holds true for the tiny minority of teachers more interested in indoctrinating students than in educating them. So long as a teacher presents multiple perspectives on controversial topics accurately and fairly, there’s no reason to assume that Bill 25 would negatively affect this type of instruction.

Meanwhile, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario described Calandra’s directive as “heavy-handed” and asserted that it “ignores the realities of students’ lived experiences.” Keep in mind that all Calandra asked school boards to do was to ensure that graduation ceremonies focus on student achievement, not on divisive or contentious issues.

In short, the teachers who have anything to fear from Bill 25 are those with an ideological axe to grind. Bill 25 merely makes official what should have been standard practice in classrooms anyway.

Without a doubt, public schools should focus on educating all students. This means keeping politics and ideology out of classrooms and ensuring that school boards pass regulations that stay within their appropriate responsibilities. Asking schools to remain neutral is not only reasonable, but it is essential for a well-functioning education system.

Michael Zwaagstra is a senior fellow with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.