Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division No. 29
Encyclopedia
Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools (or formally, the Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division No. 29 (GSACRD)) is a public school board serving St. Albert, Alberta
, Canada
, Morinville, Alberta
, Canada
and Legal, Alberta, Canada
.
and Protestant province of Alberta. Under the terms by which Alberta joined Canada as a province in 1905 under the Alberta Act
, resident tax payers were guaranteed that minority faith separate schools, either Protestant or Roman Catholic, would continue to receive government funding, as they had under the Northwest Territories' system to that point as a result of the Manitoba schools question
. In most of the province "public schools" are secular and separate schools are denominational in nature (which are also publicly-funded). In St. Albert, however, since Roman Catholics were originally the majority, public schools are run by a Catholic school board, and the separate schools are Protestant, there are no secular schools. Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools is therefore both a public and Catholic board.
has only a public Catholic high school (part of the Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division), and no secular or Protestant high schools of any kind, when the surrounding Sturgeon County
, is a part of the public Sturgeon School Division. This lead, in 2011, for non-Catholic parents to start an advocacy campaign to secularize education in Morinville.
St. Albert, Alberta
St. Albert is a suburban city in Alberta, located northwest of Edmonton, on the Sturgeon River. It was originally settled as a Métis community, and is now the second largest city in the Edmonton area. St...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Morinville, Alberta
Morinville, Alberta
Morinville is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located north of Edmonton on Highway 2.- History :Morinville was settled by Father Morin, an Oblate missionary, who brought many French settlers in the late 1800s, followed by several German pioneers—hence its many French and German families...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Legal, Alberta, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
History and purpose
St. Albert and its immediate region is an historically French-speaking and Roman Catholic region in the otherwise mostly AnglophoneEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Protestant province of Alberta. Under the terms by which Alberta joined Canada as a province in 1905 under the Alberta Act
Alberta Act
The Alberta Act, effective September 1, 1905, was the act of the Parliament of Canada that created the province of Alberta. The act is similar in nature to The Saskatchewan Act, which established the province of Saskatchewan at the same time...
, resident tax payers were guaranteed that minority faith separate schools, either Protestant or Roman Catholic, would continue to receive government funding, as they had under the Northwest Territories' system to that point as a result of the Manitoba schools question
Manitoba Schools Question
The Manitoba Schools Question was a political crisis in the Canadian Province of Manitoba that occurred late in the 19th century, involving publicly funded separate schools for Roman Catholics and Protestants...
. In most of the province "public schools" are secular and separate schools are denominational in nature (which are also publicly-funded). In St. Albert, however, since Roman Catholics were originally the majority, public schools are run by a Catholic school board, and the separate schools are Protestant, there are no secular schools. Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools is therefore both a public and Catholic board.
Alleged human rights violations
In October, 2009 it was reported that a man formerly employed by GSACRD had filed a human rights complaint against the district. The man, Jan Buterman, claimed that in 2008 he had been removed from the district's substitute teaching list after he declared his intention to transition from a female to male. In a letter to Buterman dated October 14, 2008 the division's deputy superintendent, Steve Bayus stated,"Since you made a personal choice to change your gender, which is contrary to Catholic teachings, we have had to remove you from the substitute teacher list." As of October 15, 2009, the Alberta Human Rights Commission had accepted Buterman's complaint.2011 Morinville controversy
One anomaly of the school system in Alberta is that the town of MorinvilleMorinville, Alberta
Morinville is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located north of Edmonton on Highway 2.- History :Morinville was settled by Father Morin, an Oblate missionary, who brought many French settlers in the late 1800s, followed by several German pioneers—hence its many French and German families...
has only a public Catholic high school (part of the Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division), and no secular or Protestant high schools of any kind, when the surrounding Sturgeon County
Sturgeon County, Alberta
Sturgeon County is a municipal district in Alberta's Edmonton Capital Region, Canada.It begins at the north end of Edmonton, with 97th street turning into Highway 28. It extends east to Fort Saskatchewan and west to Calahoo. It is located in Division No. 11....
, is a part of the public Sturgeon School Division. This lead, in 2011, for non-Catholic parents to start an advocacy campaign to secularize education in Morinville.