While most MLAs seem eager to shut out parents in the care of their own children, they seem to have no problem ignoring how a government-funded and recommended GSA Network website led children to sexually graphic material about sex toys, BDSM and advice to “pay for porn” for months. How many 5 to 17-year-olds saw this material before 27% of the community support links were removed?

It is likely that iSMSS (Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services), the individuals responsible for this inappropriate material, are still key consultants with Alberta Education and (most likely) the secretive curriculum re-write. The University of Alberta, where iSMSS is located has offered no apology for the lack of professional oversight iSMSS provided to the Alberta GSA Network.

Thank you to Leela Aheer, the Wildrose Education Critic, who has taken up the gauntlet to advocate for the safety of children, questioning Minister Eggen yesterday in the Legislature. We hope to see more MLAs step up to ensure someone is held accountable for violating the trust of Albertans and endangering the safety of children.

It is unbelievable that these resources and community support links were made available to K-12 children from the provincial GSA “experts”, yet Brian Jean, the Minister of Education and other MLAs have the gall to falsely and audaciously accuse parents of being the greater danger to these vulnerable youth.

 

Family Law Act

It is essential parents and concerned citizens challenge the false rhetoric of our politicians and remind them who is legally responsible for the children of this province. Consider the following sections of the Family Law Act  (excerpts taken from s. 19, 20 & 21) that are being conveniently ignored by our elected representatives.

19(1) Every child is subject to guardianship.

(6) A court may, on application by a parent of a child, a guardian of a child or a child, or on its own motion in a proceeding under this Act or the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act, make a determination that a parent meets or does not meet the requirements to be a guardian under subsection (2).

Powers, responsibilities and entitlements of guardianship: 21(1) A guardians shall exercise the powers, responsibilities and entitlements of guardianship in the best interests of the child.

 (4) Except where otherwise limited by a parenting order, each guardian is entitled

   (a)  to be informed of and consulted about and to make all significant decisions affecting the child in the exercise of the powers and responsibilities of guardianship described in subsection (5), and

   (b)  to have sufficient contact with the child to carry out those powers and responsibilities.

(5) Except where otherwise limited by law, including a parenting order, each guardian has the following responsibilities in respect of the child:

(a) to nurture the child’s physical, psychological and emotional development and to guide the child towards independent adulthood;

(6) Except where otherwise limited by law, including a parenting order, each guardian may exercise the following powers:

(a)  to make day-to-day decisions affecting the child, including having the day-to-day care and control of the child and supervising the child’s daily activities;

(c)  to make decisions about the child’s education, including the nature, extent and place of education and any participation in extracurricular school activities;

(d)  to make decisions regarding the child’s cultural, linguistic, religious and spiritual upbringing and heritage;

(g)  to consent to medical, dental and other health-related treatment for the child;

(h)  to grant or refuse consent where consent of a parent or guardian is required by law in any application, approval, action, proceeding or other matter;

(i)  to receive and respond to any notice that a parent or guardian is entitled or required by law to receive;

(l) to receive from third parties health, education or other information that may significantly affect the child;

(m) to exercise any other powers reasonably necessary to carry out the responsibilities of guardianship. Indeed, we live in a profoundly troubling times. We must demand that our government uphold the rights of guardians and parents to care for their own children, as protected by the Family Law Act.

 

Youth Need Parental Support

Research demonstrates why the Family Law Act was implemented to begin with. Vulnerable children, according to the Trans Pulse Survey and other research, have significantly improved outcomes when parents and families are engaged and supportive.

It is also known from many studies of young people’s psychological well-being, that parental support is a strong predictor of healthy self-esteem. In Trans PULSE, we assessed self-esteem using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (1965), defining “high self-esteem” as scoring 20 or higher; having parents strongly supportive of one’s gender identity and expression indeed had a significant impact on self esteem. Of those with strongly supportive parents, 64% reported high self-esteem compared to only 13% whose parents were not strongly supportive. 

We face a unique situation in Alberta in which an absence of a protocol for parental engagement has led to the coercion of educators in schools to circumvent parents.

If we are serious about setting these youth up for success then supporting youth as they engage in difficult conversations must be a priority.

We must make parent notification key and ensure that communication and expansion of support systems – not secrecy and isolation – are the ultimate goals. Any time we allow one-on-one conversations between adults and children then we allow an avenue for neglectful care at a minimum (narrowing of supports) and abuse of authority at its worst.

Oversight and measures of accountability should always be in place.

 

Minister Eggen Threatens to Expand State Control

But there is a greater danger posed by Wildrose Leader Brian Jean demonstrating such weakness on this portfolio in the Legislature.

When the opposition in the Legislature fails to stand up to protect families from state control of their own children, Minister Eggen and the NDP are empowered to expand that state control.

Minister Eggen has now informed the public that he “is considering” codifying into law the circumvention of parents in the care of their own children at school.

In the interim, Minister Eggen has issued a new edict.

Yesterday, he wrote to every single school board in the province of Alberta demanding that “such notification (of parents) should not occur.”

None other than the Director of iSMSS, the very organization that failed to vet the resources on the Alberta GSA Network and allowed students as young as five to access sexually graphic material for months, touted Minister Eggen’s message:

 

When Minister Eggen first offered the Guidelines for Best Practices to schools in January of last year, upon which to develop new policies, I wrote:

Who will be to blame if children are lost? The parents, because they put their faith in the authorities and were unaware they were being kept ignorant of their child’s needs? The teacher and school that hid the child’s struggles from the child’s parents? Or the Alberta Government who voted anti-family Bill 10 into law, and followed up with such a dangerous guideline to isolate children from their parents?  

 

Call to Action

Parents for Choice in Education (PCE) calls upon all concerned citizens of Alberta. We say enough is enough. Common sense must be returned to our schools.

No teacher (a population already overburdened with a multitude of responsibilities) should be coerced by school policies and the likes of iSMSS to engage in secretive one-on-one conversations with at-risk youth on subjects of a sexual nature.

PCE has consistently asked that legislation be amended to ensure that children are supported to communicate with their parents and work with administrators and teachers within their local schools, to ensure clubs effectively meet the needs of children, are cohesive to the foundation of the school and expand, rather than dangerously narrow, each student’s sources of support.

It is time for loving parents across our province to rise up and engage!

Here are some actions you can take: