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Halton Catholic School board rejects gay-straight alliances

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by zerogravity, Mar 23, 2011.

  1. zerogravity

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    This really bothers me. When I was in high school in Toronto, there was no such thing as a GSA. I probably wouldn't even have joined anyways for fear of being "outed". The thing that bothers me is that a catholic-based fully publicly funded school board is allowed to exist in the first place. My tax dollars going to pay for these bigots?! It's infuriating, not to mention how bad i feel for these kids, and not just the gay ones.

    full article here

    http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/education/article/958945--halton-catholic-board-committee-rejects-gay-straight-alliances
     
  2. Miss Bubbles

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    they can blow out there asses
     
  3. straal1972

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    School boards get funded from property taxes. You can choose to have your portion go to either the public school or catholic school board.
     
  4. alan t

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    What if you don't own your own house/apartment? I have no idea who my landlord is giving my taxes to, no one ever asked me about it.
     
  5. TheEdend

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    I'm pretty sure a similar case like this was already solved. A kid that wanted to go to prom with his boyfriend sued the school and he won because the school was getting tax money.

    Pretty sure if they get really pushy they could totally make the school leave the GSA on.
     
  6. mike6557

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    The halton school board is like the sister board to my board. This is great to hear, we don't have any GSA's at all in Niagara schools, except one in grimsby. Despite the fact the Catholic church may not agree with homosexuality (the bible also condemns growing 2 different crops in the same field.. but farmers are allowed to do what they want) doesn't mean students should be condemned,. Especially if the only high school around is a catholic one -_-
     
  7. zerogravity

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    Sorry straal, you are mistaken - Catholic schools are funded using a combination of Municipal and Provincial funds, on a per-student basis.

    http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/funding/formula.html

    Municipal property taxes are also divided on a per-student basis. In otherwords, that checkbox is irrelevant. If your kid is enrolled in a catholic school for whatever reason (close to home, friends go there, better teachers, sports programs, his parents believe in it, grandma was catholic, etc), then we all pay for him/her to go there.

    http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/funding/0304/parents/parents.html#provincial


    if you still don't believe me, from the school board itself
    http://www.cdsbeo.on.ca/PDF/Assessment2007ver5.pdf
     
  8. straal1972

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    Well played sir.....
     
  9. Nomad187

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    Either way it is still publicly funded which means it has no right to refuse anything on a religious basis. It has to follow all the same rules as MDHS and ECDHS and all other Halton District Schools. Just because you are part of a catholic school board means nothing when you are publicly funded.
     
  10. Fintan

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    In fairness to Straal, this was only changed in the last 20 years or so. I think under the Progressive Conservative 'Education' Premier Bill Davis and many people don't know it happened. But basically it was done to ensure equal education to all students.

    But yes, depending what you state on your property taxes, the list is used with the voters list to mark you as a Catholic or Protestant (Public) School board voter.

    As for tax dollars going to the Catholic School system, funding is guarenteed by the British North America Act of 1867 -- and it permits the School Boards to raise their children basically in a community formed by Catholic beliefs and traditions. The funny thing is, the Catholic School Boards were created to protect the rights of French and Catholics in Canada, as they had traditionally been the 'minority' in the British Empire (even being unable to vote or hold office in some parts of the world). And now, this institution created to protect rights, is restriction some of the rights of their students....
     
  11. British Lad

    British Lad Guest

    As far as i am concerned the catholic school board can shove the anti-homosexually policy up they ass.
     
  12. zerogravity

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    The whole idea of a catholic-based public school is idiotic. An entire school system, paid for by the working pubic, that claims to encourage "catholic values" while ignoring the true meaning of those values and spreading hate and ignorance instead. Great...:frowning2:
     
  13. Jay

    Jay
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    If your Catholic School wants to ban GSA, you can tell them that they are then against what the Vatican says about homosexuality and that it's not very Catholic to hate and discriminate based on Sexuality.
     
  14. Nomad187

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    It honestly doesn't matter what the hell the vatican wants because they are not really connected to Ontarios catholic schools at least not in Halton anyways. They are publicly funded so have no right to discriminate against anyone
     
  15. endless poetry

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    slight correction: the second public school systems in Ontario at the moment "public schools" are secular not protestant.

    and yes a private school might have the right to ban something based on religious belief, but since the board is funded publically, it must adhere to sec. 93 of the constitution (every part of it).

    I do not see the logic behind such a ruling by the Halton Catholic Board as they know it will spark public outrage in a nation whose rigorously enforced Human Rights Codes and Acts go out of their ways to bother to specify sexual orientation as not a reason for discrimination. Publicity stunt perhaps?

    In my experience, Catholic high schools and students thereof are quite secular for the most part; save a school chapel, reciting the Lord's prayer, it is very much like a secular school. Most of the few score people I know who go to Catholic schools are either irreligious or protestant/evangelical. S=
     
  16. Jay

    Jay
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    If the school is Catholic but they are not subject to what the Vatican says, then it's just "Christian" and not Catholic. If they call themselves Catholic, part of them must follow what the Vatican says. If they call themselves Catholic but don't follow orders from the Vatican as well as the local authorities, then they're misusing the word.
     
  17. Kanen

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    Yeah, I would say this happens a lot. There's a town near me where one school decided to get rid of it's GSA, or at least refuse them the ability to meet on campus. One of my friends (also gay) and a huge group of LGBTQ activists went and protested, and thankfully it was overturned.
     
  18. endless poetry

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    Thing is, private religious schools do as they like within reasonable limits.
    Since these specific catholic schools decided to recieve public funding and brand themselves a public school system, they are subject to the same rules as secular schools when it comes to equality.