With no viable option for secular public education for their children and grandchildren, one Morinville family is picking up and moving en masse to Edmonton.
Up until recently they were pushing to have something in place in the town for September. Now, they will continue the fight but they do not want their children involved anymore.
Among the parents leaving is Donna Hunter, who has become a spokesperson for Morinville parents wanting an alternative to a Catholic education.
She does not believe there will be an option in place by September at the pace Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools is moving. The board is seeking another party to provide a public, non-religious education on behalf of its publicly funded Catholic system.
Even if such a program is ready by September, she does not like the idea of attending a school system from the outside, represented by trustees from a school division she cannot vote for.
“We need to be able to run for trustees and vote for trustees,” said Hunter. “[And] we should not be bused, segregated out of our community to get a public education … how could I stay to settle for being treated like an outcast?”
Hunter and other parents had rallied to ask the school division for a true public option. When that failed, they appealed to Alberta Minister of Education Dave Hancock. The school division has stated it will not meet the request itself but recently has been looking for another school division to partner with.
Also leaving, to move into the same condominium complex in Edmonton, are Hunter’s sister Carol Sparks, father David Redman and their families.
All of the children have been enrolled for September in the Edmonton Public Schools system. It is not the solution they would have preferred, but they do feel it is a better fit for their kids.
“If I continue to fight from within, well my child is still receiving a Catholic education,” said Hunter. “That is against my express wishes.”
“It’s hard to enroll them in a school that you don’t agree with,” added Sparks.
Redman said he feels the family was forced to do this.
Sparks moved to Morinville about 13 years ago when she was married and bought her first house. Hunter and Redman followed suit to be as close to family as possible.
The town was to be the place where Redman retired. But he will not be separated from his family.
He understands why Hunter and Sparks feel the need to move.
“I won’t sit here while my grandchildren receive a fully permeated Catholic belief system on a daily basis in every lesson, as they proudly announce on their website,” said Redman.
But it goes deeper than all of this — the parents do not want their stigma passed on to the kids.
“[Donna] has been very public, and her name is known,” said Sparks. “When people drive by and they recognize her, you can see the frowns.”
“There are a lot of people who would rather I be quiet, and are probably happy that I’m going away. I’m going away but I’m not going to be quiet about this,” said Hunter.
