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From now on, children will only attend religious instruction with the consent of their parents or caregiver.
A long-running legal battle over the authorization of Bible studies in state schools has been dropped after a “voluntary participation” clause was added to the Education and Training Act of 2020.
The law now says that if a state elementary or middle school board decides to close its school for religious instruction, it must make the students “opt in.”
It is a change that means that children will only attend religious instruction with the consent of their parents or caregiver.
And it is a measure that has finally seen a court case, six years in the making, that was dropped six weeks before it was due to be heard in Superior Court.
ROBERT KITCHEN / Things
Nearly 10,000 people signed the Secular Education Network petition, calling on Education Minister Chris Hipkins to completely eliminate religious instruction in the state’s elementary and middle schools.
READ MORE:
* Schools may request a signed consent to teach religious instruction
* Stoush on Bible Lessons in State Schools Addresses Superior Court
* Why religious instruction in elementary schools is a bad idea
The Secular Education Network (SEN) was the group behind the measure to ban religious teaching in schools.
They had long argued that it strongly promoted Christianity and marginalized any other religion.
Members of the group now disagreed after being divided over the decision to drop the court case.
One of them, Tanya Jacob, issued a statement on Monday calling the new clause “a significant step forward,” and that meant that she would not continue her planned Superior Court case against the attorney general.
Stuff
David Hines feels that it is not enough for schools to simply offer the option to participate.
But his groupmate, David Hines, felt the acceptance didn’t go far enough, saying in a separate statement that he felt Jacob had “dropped the ball, with the goal line in sight.”
“The petition opposes only religious instruction. The court case had a much broader purpose, ”Hines said.
“It included: religious observances (such as hymns in school assemblies), chaplains in schools, young Christian workers, discrimination in high schools, Christianized karakia, and a broader definition of what secular education means.
John Bisset / Stuff
SEN’s case was to be heard in Superior Court in October.
“Tanya and I had this larger goal in mind when we started our campaign. It’s heartbreaking to see her now accepting a lower goal and a campaign that goes on for more years. “
Nearly 10,000 people signed the Secular Education Network petition, calling on Education Minister Chris Hipkins to completely eliminate religious instruction in the state’s elementary and middle schools.
