Colony schools teach evolution

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This article was published 01/06/2012 (5063 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba teachers must teach evolution in public schools located on Hutterite colonies — but they have to be extremely sensitive to the students’ and communities’ beliefs.

“The content of the curriculum has to be taught,” said assistant deputy minister of education Jean Auclair. “The professional judgment of the teacher also comes into play — the teacher has to be aware of the students’ beliefs and the community’s beliefs. For some communities, this is a sensitive matter.”

At the recent annual convention of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, during debate over parents being allowed to keep their children out of courses on human sexuality, teachers from Park West and Prairie Rose school divisions said Hutterite schools could switch to being private schools over teaching evolution and the age of the Earth.

The issue hasn’t come up as far as the province is aware, Auclair said.

“Evolution is (specifically) covered in Grade 12 biology — it’s an optional course,” he pointed out.

Other educators pointed out evolution is assumed throughout the science curriculum.

“The word ‘creationism’ doesn’t appear in the curriculum,” Auclair acknowledged. “There is no expectation from the curriculum perspective that these issues (creationism) would be raised.” Nevertheless, “teachers who work in these communities should treat the content with sensitivity. Teachers are encouraged to have conversations with their students in the classroom.”

Park West superintendent Tim Mendel, a former Hutterite, consulted the principal of the Decker Colony School after the MTS meeting.

All four Decker teachers are both certified teachers and Hutterite members of the colony, Mendel said.

“They do cover evolution — it’s part of the provincial curriculum. They wouldn’t exclude that concept.”

Some Hutterites go on to post-secondary education, so they need to know everything in the curriculum, he said.

Brandon University has a program to train Hutterite teachers, Mendel said.

“There are not a lot of colonies that are private — they want to belong to the public system.”

The colonies would have difficulty, Mendel said, “if someone were to impose something that was egregiously against their faith and why they exist.”

Seven Oaks superintendent Brian O’Leary, president of the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents, also said the issue hasn’t come up.

“Parents with very strong beliefs would be looking at independent faith-based schools or home schooling,” O’Leary said.

The superintendent of Prairie Rose S.D., which has 16 colony schools, was not available this week.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca