The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is in hot water, this time for being too accommodating. The board came under attack this week after allowing an imam to lead Muslim students in prayer on school property.
A Hindu group, in particular, has openly criticized the Board for allowing the prayer sessions in a cafeteria at Valley Park Middle School in Flemingdon Park.
Ron Banerjee, director of Canadian Hindu Advocacy, said the Board has gone too far this time. “….Pretty soon we’re going to have 50 different ethnicities and religions asking for different accommodations.”
Superintendent of inclusive schools for the board, Jim Spyropoulos claimed parents and teachers at the school came up with the idea of holding the prayer meetings at the school, so it's more than 300 observant students wouldn't have to miss class time -- an arrangement which is entirely funded the school itself.
“I think it’s important to note the prayer isn’t conducted under the auspices of the board,” said Spyropoulos. “The principal was creative enough to sit down with parents and come up with a solution that worked for everyone and there has not been a single complaint from within the community.”
Similar arrangements have been made at other schools for Muslim students throughout the board.
In 2000, the TDSB introduced a "religious accommodation policy" which outlines ways to allow for modesty (in gym class), fasting and dietary requirements, among other things. It also stipulates certain issues that aren't open to compromise, such as public safety or health.
Although prayer has a long history within Canadian schools, when the Charter of Rights and Freedoms came into play in 1982, routine school prayers were considered a violation of "students’ rights to freedom of conscience and religion".
So hosting a prayer group on school property is ok, provided it's not inside the classroom. What do you think -- inclusive policy or preferential treatment?
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