A pre-kindergarten to Grade 8 public elementary school in Moose Jaw, Sask. has decided to remove the Lord’s Prayer from the students’ morning routine.
Starting this school year, students at Lindale Elementary School are starting the morning with a moment of reflection instead.
The decision came almost a year after Dusti Hennenfent, a parent of two children at the school, spoke to the principal, Heather Gobbett, about the school’s practice of broadcasting the Lord’s Prayer over the school’s public address system.
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“Nobody had ever informed or asked me if it’s something I wanted my children to participate in or something like that,” Hennenfent said.
“The kids, because they had always gone to that school, thought it was just another part of the daily process.”
Hennenfent said she was told it was a long-standing tradition at the school and that she could write a letter to the school if she thought the prayer should be discontinued.
“I disagree with it because I think that I actually don’t see the purpose in it, but I also see it as infringing upon and violating the very important right of freedom of religion,” Hennenfrent said.
“And for those children who would decide not to participate in that, they have to make a decision that they’re going to separate themselves from their classmates and their teacher.”
The school sent out a questionnaire asking other parents what they thought of the prayer and also had a discussion with the school community council.
The issue went to the school board who voted in January to continue with the prayer. Hennenfrent said she spoke at the board meeting about why she thought the prayer shouldn’t be broadcast.
Hennenfrent then filed a complaint with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission against the school board. Hennenfrent said they were in the process of having discussions about the prayer but hadn’t come to a resolution.
On Tuesday, she found out in a newsletter that the school had changed the practice.
“I was very excited, very humbled that this process had been worth it to get to a resolution that respects all of the students at the school, and not only the current students at that school but the future students at that school,” Hennenfrent said.
Tony Baldwin, director of education with the Prairie South School Division, said the decision allows students to choose between reciting the Lord’s Prayer or other options, such as reflecting on the day to come.
“After reviewing the practice at Lindale, I realized that we had some problems connected to how we were meeting the requirements of the board,” Baldwin said in a statement.
“I am pleased to with the new process that honours the board’s direction related to the Lord’s Prayer and also meets the needs of all the children at Lindale school.”
Baldwin said in his statement that the school board’s decision in January was still intact.
“As far as I know, the board continues to support the opportunity for students to recite the Lord’s Prayer at Lindale School,” Baldwin said.
“Lindale School continues to be the only public school in Moose Jaw where students have the opportunity to recite the Lord’s Prayer as part of a schoolwide opening exercise.”
Hennenfrent said she will discuss Prairie South Schools’ decision with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.
“My expectation for right now is that this will be considered that we’ve come to a resolution that’s acceptable to all parties,” Hennenfrent said.
Saskatchewan law allows for the inclusion of the prayer at the discretion of each school or division, but very few still use it.