Editor, The News:

Angry activist Leonard Remple of the oddly titled Parents for Democracy in Education Society does not tell the whole truth when he gripes that no parents “were granted equal access to the revision of the curriculum” as a result of the Corren Agreement (The News, Sept. 27).

There is an innocent reason why parents had no access: parents were never a party in the first place to the lawsuit that the two complainants launched against the Ministry of Education.

To learn this key fact, no one has to wade through the 69 pages of the long publication that activist Remple recommends.

Instead, one need read merely the first page (actually, only the first half page easily available on the Internet) giving what lawyers call “the style of cause” of the lawsuit the Correns launched. As British Columbians like all of us, the Correns were perfectly entitled to bring their complaint, like any other complainant, under the Human Rights Act.

The respondent was – and had to be – the Ministry of Education only. Parents groups were not – and could not possibly be – respondents. Hence, parental groups could no more play a legal role than they could when Ottawa negotiates free trade agreements with America.

Like all respondents, the Ministry of Education had only two choices – either settle out of court (which is cheaper) or fight in court (which is more expensive for taxpayers). To fight in court might have led the ministry to lose anyway.

Then the Human Rights Tribunal would have imposed settlement, again without the spurious parental “access” that Remple angrily demands.

Remple fears that students might re-evaluate their values. But isn’t this re-evaluation exactly what education is all about? Remple offers only a stultifying ultra-conservatism.

Students who learn French might re-evaluate English and recognize its oddities that George Bernard Shaw noticed a hundred years ago.

Students who study other religions, such as a peaceful one like Buddhism, might re-evaluate Christianity with its history of violent values.

What impact will the confused Parents for Democracy in Education Society have on true educational values? Negative, obviously.

Gay students are students, too.

Greg Lanning

Abbotsford