^{EXEMPTION FROM RELIGION CLASSES & PROGRAMS}Your Choice ~ Your Right... It's the law

Your Subtitle text

What to Expect...

DENY! DENY! DENY!

You should expect to be refused access to your rights...

MAKE SURE YOU GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING!
It is common to want to "meet and talk it over". these meetings are not productive if you have decided to get the exemption. anything that is said by an administrator should be documented.

_____________________________________

We know the Catholic Administration, Boards and Trustees
do not want you to exercise this right.

Denial of your access to the exemption is not in compliance with the law.

NO POLICY....THAT SHOULD MAKE YOU NERVOUS

No, they DO NOT HAVE A PROCESS

you are going to hear "there is a process in place". well, as a government agency they have to document that as a formal "Policy".

Demand a copy, bet they don't have one!

If they claim to have a policy but can not produce it, they are treating you special. They can't do that, you could accuse them of prejudicial treatment.

If they have a policy, make sure it is open to the public, has the approval of the board and does not infringe on your Human Rights. For instance, should you have to meet with 4 levels of school bureaucracy to get an exemption? NO!

You will be challenged with responses such as:

"you went to a Catholic elementary school and are therefore not eligible"   WRONG

Your choice of elementary schools is not relevant to the exemption.
  Your religious affiliation is not relevant to admission to the school or
  to the exemption right.
  The only thing they may point to is MPAC but you can change that in a week

"if you don't want to take religion, go to the public high school" WRONG

It is your choice for whatever reason to go to any publicly funded high

school (Catholic High Schools are 100% publicly funded!)

in your area, you can not be denied access

and you can not be forced to take religion classes.

"you can not graduate without religion courses" WRONG

There are no Ontario Secondary School Diploma requirements that mandate religion classes. Religion classes have been afforded status as a credit with the curriculum to be determined by the Catholic School Board, but they are not mandatory to achieving an OSSD.

"with an exemption, you will not be able to participate in certain activities" WRONG

Restriction to extracurricular activities would mean the school has implemented that as a policy specific to your case and would not fall in line with any Ontario Catholic Board policies and statement of values.

"we have a constitutional right to mandate participation in religion classes" WRONG

The current constitutional right is to funding, but the Education Act mandates policy. All stakeholders must abide by the rights and responsibilities outlined in the Education Act.

"without religion classes you will not get on the honour roll" WRONG

Restriction to addition to the Honour roll would mean the school has implemented that as a policy specific to your case and would not fall in line with any Ontario Catholic Board policies and statement of values. Transcripts of students provided to Post Secondary Institutions must reflect grades accurately as earned by the individual student.

"you signed a contract committing to participate in religion" WRONG

This "contract" is not a legally binding agreement and does not supersede the School and Board's mandatory compliance with the Education Act. The "contract" is actually just an invention created to generate a false sense of obligation to take religion classes.

"exemptions are only for very exceptional circumstances for non-Catholics" WRONG

A student's religious status is not relevant to admission into a Catholic Secondary School. You DO NOT have to provide any explanation. It is your right, your decision and your private circumstance.

Any students
Any circumstance
Any reason

THERE ARE NO REASONS TO DENY YOU ACCESS.

A RESPONSE OTHER THAN PROVIDING YOU THE EXEMPTION IS BREAKING THE LAW!