Education Minister David Eggen says he will “aggressively pursue” schools that refuse to comply with new guidelines to protect LGBTQ students.
“The urgency that’s attached to this circumstance, I recognize very clearly,” Eggen said Thursday. “So, certainly I will be moving on it very quickly, and you’ll see.”
Earlier this week, Brian Coldwell, chair of the Independent Baptist Christian Education Society in rural Parkland County, told CBC News the board’s two private schools will not follow the policy.
He said he would not allow “gay activists” to undermine religious freedoms or “confuse and corrupt our children.”
The remark prompted calls for the Alberta government to withdraw public dollars from Coldwell’s schools.
Eggen said he wants to verify media reports first before taking action. He would not give a timeline, but promised the public will hear something “soon.”
The minister said he has not heard from other school boards to plan to defy the guidelines.