Of course the government is intentionally trying to mislead the public about the real danger of the bill by focusing on the right of parents to pull their kids from classrooms.
Parents have always had this right on any topic. If a parent phoned the school and said that they have serious moral or social reservations about anything taught in school, then the school would let you pull your kid from the class ... no problem.
Schools are already required by Alberta Education to send permission slips home before sex ed classes or any controversial topics are taught. So that is not the issue.
The question is simply ... is it necessary to have the threat of a Human Rights tribunal hanging over the head of a teacher as they teach a class?
I taught biology and often the lessons lead to discussions of sexuality, sometimes when it was not a planned part of the lesson. For example, lessons on genetics can easily lead to discussions on sexuality and even homosexuality. Although as a teacher, you try to contain such topics because they often lead the discussion away from the lesson at hand, the thought that some parent will be able to destroy the life of some teacher because of a classroom discussion seems ridiculous.
Make no mistake simply taking someone before the Human Rights commission is a punishment. The expense of hiring lawyers to defend yourself can be financially destructive. Even if the ATA covers the cost of the lawyer, it is still emotionally distressful.
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