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Majority rules?

The debate over whether or not to allow students at Pembina North Community School to continue reciting the Lord’s Prayer during opening exercises has been resolved.

The debate over whether or not to allow students at Pembina North Community School to continue reciting the Lord’s Prayer during opening exercises has been resolved.

And like similar instances at Busby School and Dunstable School, Pembina Hills Public Schools trustees have OK’d the religious gesture.

We’re not saying that prayer should be banned in what should be a religiously-neutral school system, but it shouldn’t be the position of any school trustee to direct students to recite prayer in a public institution.

Granted, it’s not an invasive activity and we understand that students, religious or not, aren’t forced to partake.

They can bow their heads and tune out if they wish, but still it’s outside of the realm of the public school system to have such an activity as a formal exercise.

It would be more appropriate for schools to hold a moment of reflection and allow each individual to use it for their own purposes. If students or staff feel so compelled to recite the prayer, they could use that time.

In rural communities like Busby, Dunstable and Dapp, where there’s no faith-based school, it would be rash to argue that parents should bus their kids into Westlock to recite the Lord’s Prayer at St. Mary School.

And it’s only because it’s a small-community school that the practice is able to continue. In a city school, the issue would see more than enough resistance that the school board would be forced to discontinue the practice. Ultimately, an overwhelming majority of parents are in favour of this and that’s what’s allowing this practice to continue.

The school board is essentially saying the majority rules.

So, if enough students from any religion attended any given public school, their prayer should be directed in class?

In many schools with diverse populations, students are given space and time to practice their religion within the school, but outside the classroom.

As for the topic of reciting the Lord’s Prayer in Busby, Dunstable and Dapp, it’s a practice that will continue for the time being, until there’s enough opposition.

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