Alta. won't intervene in Morinville school dispute

Morinville parents arefrustrated that Alberta's education minister won't intervene and force the publicly funded school board to give their children access to a non-Catholic education.

"I'm really frustrated, extremely frustrated," DonnaHunter said at the Alberta legislature Wednesday afternoon, in reaction to Education Minister Dave Hancock's meeting with the Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional School Division.

The publicly funded board runsall four schools in Morinville: two for elementary grade students and a junior and senior high school.

Hunter and other parents want the district to offer a non-faith-based program. Earlier this year board membersunanimously rejected their request.

Hunter was hoping that Hancock, as the education minister, could overturn the decision and force the board to offer a program. But Hancocksaid he wouldn't do that.Instead, hewants the parents to go back to the board.

"I think that needs to be a real discussion with the people involved," he said. "It's not really in my hand to mandate that."

That isn't acceptable, Hunter said.

"Him coming out and saying nothing and saying go back and talk to your school board? 'I've kind of pushed them in the right direction and maybe they'll give you an option this time you're satisfied with' ... No I'm not satisfied with that. How can I be satisfied with that?" she asked.

The province's solution of busing the children to a school in another district is not a solution, Marjorie Kirsop said.

"Considering Morinville is a town of 8,000 [and]we have four public schools, why should our kids be put on a bus, driven 40 minutes away with high school kids to attend a school in another district?"she asked.

"We have four public schools. Why not give one school to hand it over to Sturgeon [School Division]. Let them run the secular program."

Hunter's daughter is now in kindergarten. Next year, she can have her daughter opt out of religious classes when they are offered, as long as she signs a form acknowledging that Catholic teachings will permeate the rest of the school day, an option she doesn't believe is acceptable.