Students at Sturgeon Heights School have not recited the Lord’s Prayer during classes since the beginning of September because of complaints by at least two families who objected to the practice.
“The recitation of the Lord’s Prayer has been under review since last year,” said principal Garnet Goertzen, as he explained that, separately and independently, two different sets of parents asked to have their children excused from morning prayers.
Luke Fevin, whose children attend kindergarten and Grade 2 classes at Sturgeon Heights, is one of those parents.
“Last spring, we asked that our children not be forced to listen to the Lord’s Prayer and, at that time, we learned that another family at the school made the same request,” Fevin said, adding that he intentionally searched for a non-religious school when he enrolled his eldest child in Montessori pre-school classes two years ago.
“But our child attended afternoon classes, so there were no prayers. It wasn’t until kindergarten that it became an issue,” he said, adding that he didn’t want to stir the pot at first, but finally made his feelings known to Goertzen last spring.
Soon afterwards a meeting was held and parents were invited to the school to discuss whether the prayer should be recited or not. By September, Goertzen was fielding calls from parents on both sides of the prayer debate.
“A large segment of the population appreciates the Lord’s Prayer,” he said, as he explained that historically Sturgeon Heights School was a rural school with a Christian-based philosophy.
The school, located on Hogan Road, is somewhat of an anomaly because it is located within St. Albert city limits yet it remains under the jurisdiction of the Sturgeon School Division.
“We have optional religion classes, which are multi-denominational. Many parents have said they are important because they feel they help in building character,” Goertzen said.
A second meeting on Sept. 6 had a good turnout with discussion on both sides. A parent sub-committee was formed to survey how parents feel about the prayer recitation.
The next step is to have the policy reviewed by the Sturgeon School Division board of trustees on Oct. 12.
“We’re looking at a couple of alternatives. We want to hear the people’s voice and we view it as a very important discussion,” said Sturgeon School Division superintendent Dr. Michele Dick.
Solutions may mean that students will no longer recite the Lord’s Prayer, but it could also mean students will be separated into either praying or non-praying groups. A third solution might mean that, though the prayer is no longer recited, students will still take a moment at the beginning of the day for private reflection.
Fevin says he likes Sturgeon Heights School in every other way and his children have made friends at the school. He has every intention of having them continue their education there. He is satisfied that the prayer recitations ceased at the beginning of the school year and hopes that the board continues to reinforce and support this mandate.
“But the Lord’s Prayer has not been recited in public schools in St. Albert for about 15 years. Why in 2011, in a public school, is this still an issue?” he asked.
Dick admits Sturgeon School Division’s policy is somewhat ambiguous because though it states that its teachers and schools are responsible for helping children develop emotionally, physically, morally and spiritually, it does not clearly define those terms. Those policy definitions will be more clearly defined after the October board meeting.
“What do they mean? It is important for us to understand and we will be very diligent in examining every aspect of what our policies stand for — not just as a philosophical stance of the school board, but also what are the implications of those policy with regards to the School Act and the Canadian Constitution,” Dick said.
