More Government Overreach

Government Encroachment Upon Private Schools

A new front of spiritual warfare against Christians, the Church, and its institution may appear about to open up in New Zealand.  The Ministry of Education has proposed a change to the registration criteria for private schools, including parochial Christian schools.  

The following missive has been sent out by the Ministry:

The Government is considering adding a new registration criteria for private schools, requiring the provision of safe physical and emotional environment for students.  

This sounds innocent until one considers that "emotional environment" has in some jurisdictions connotations of protecting and encouraging transgenderism in schools.  If so, private Christian schools, including private parochial Church schools would likely be caught in this net.  Private Christian schools worthy of the name would, of course, teach that there are only two genders: male and female.  Private Christian schools will not recognize the 50 or so genders specified and documented by Facebook. In other words, they would not countenance for a moment the new fad sweeping through Western countries, known as "gender theory". 

As a canon lawyer at the Vatican has pointed out:

Gender theory is based upon the "primacy of culture over nature." . . . (G)ender theory views nature as biology data as "marginal," sexual differences are fluid and changeable and can be fashioned on the basis of "individual self-determination."  [Breitbart News]

But, we suspect, the mandarins at the Ministry of Education may be deeply impressed by "queer theory" and may see gender as a matter of choice, of "individual self-determination".  If a Christian school were faithfully teaching the biblical doctrine on genders, it arguably may be charged with failing to provide an emotionally safe environment for children who come from families who think otherwise.

The Ministry says with respect to this change (whereby the Government will require private schools to provide a "safe emotional environment" for its students) that should it fail to do so (in the Ministry's eyes) its registration may be removed.

The Ministry says:

The change would allow the Secretary for Education to consider the ability of a private school to provide a safe physical and emotional environment for students when making decisions about school registration.  It would also mean that, where safety standards are not being met in an existing private school, the Secretary could cancel registration based on risk to student welfare.  At present this power is not available to the Secretary.

This proposed change is intended to provide more certainty for private school students, and their families/whanau, that they can expect the same standards of physical and emotional safety at private schools as students in other educational institutions. 

A critical factor being overlooked here is the fundamental right of private schools to be private.   That is, they are not required to teach the state curriculum.  They are not a state school.

Secondly, this draconian proposal does not appear to recognise that parents, when they enrol children in a private school, enter into a contract with that school whereby, if they find the education offered and the truths being taught (on "gender theory", for example) are offensive or troubling to them they may may choose freely to leave the school.  They are not compelled to attend any private private school.  They are not compelled to stay enrolled if they decide their child is not happy.  The local state school down the road will doubtless open its arms to a new pupil enrolling.  In fact, it is required by law to do so.

Private schools are not so obligated--and therein lies the fundamental difference between State schools and private schools.  Parents select a private school of their choice.  A private school enrols pupils of its choice--that is pupils and families which the school deems will flourish in the particular educational model and environment offered by the school.  It is normal in such discussions between parents and school that, if the school considers it will not be able to add sufficient value to the pupil, it will likely decide not to admit the child.

But there are many questions which immediately come to the fore if the Government insists upon state morality and state standards being required of private schools.  For example:

1. Will the State require teachers to facilitate abortions of female students who fall pregnant, without parental knowledge or consent?  No Christian school worthy of  the name would want anything to do with such a state obligation being placed upon it.  Would the State include this in a tick-off list of the "emotional welfare requirements" of private Christian schools?
   
2. If a student is caught acting dishonestly and deceitfully in an examination, what would State mandated "emotional welfare requirements" for that student look like?
   
3. If a student "came out" as transgender what would the State's "emotional welfare" require?  Would the State insist upon affirmation and accommodation of this, despite clear biblical teaching to the contrary?  Would a principled and consistent contrary stance of a private Christian school to the Ministry's false views on the matter result in the Ministry deregistering the school?