Quebec Government to Strengthen Secularism Rules in Schools

Following a report on the state of secularism in several public schools, the Quebec government plans to strengthen its secularism rules. This includes expanding the ban on religious symbols to all school staff, not just teachers.

The report, made public on Friday, investigated 17 Quebec schools accused of violating the province's secularism rules. While the auditors found no breach of Bill 21, the law prohibiting public employees from wearing religious symbols, they identified several areas of concern.

One concern is that Bill 21 does not extend to all school employees, including classroom aides and daycare workers. The report recommends the government review the list of employees covered by the law.

The report also notes that some teachers are adjusting their teaching materials to avoid offending religious beliefs. This includes avoiding novels about romantic relationships or dealing with magic or witchcraft. Some teachers also avoid discussing certain topics, such as equality between men and women and gender identity.

In addition, the report found that some schools offer paid vacation for religious holidays, meaning that religious teachers can end up with more paid vacation than those who do not practice any religion.

The investigation of the 17 schools began following a report published last October that revealed a group of teachers at a Montreal elementary school had subjected children to physical and psychological violence. The report alleged the teachers, many of North African descent, yelled at and humiliated students. Subjects like science and sex education were either ignored or barely taught, and girls were prevented from playing soccer.

In response to the report, Education Minister Bernard Drainville announced he will table legislation to strengthen the province's secularism rules. This includes expanding the scope of the religious symbols ban to school staff other than teachers, requiring students to uncover their faces, and legislating on the use of French as the common language in schools.

However, some unions representing education workers have cautioned against using the findings of the 17 schools to make changes that will affect all schools across the province. They argue that the changes could worsen an existing recruitment crisis.