Protect them All: a Christian case for eliminating lists of special identity groups in school policies
Schools, whether private or public, should adopt a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and harassment. Such policies are aimed at protecting each and every student in the school. Provincial education ministries often recommend – or in some cases require – long lists of identifying characteristics to be included in these policies such as race, citizenship, disability, creed, sex, and even the modern concepts of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Christian schools, however, should not include these lists in their policies.
While we agree that schools need to protect all students (including those who struggle with their sexual identity) listing select characteristics is not the best way to do so. It detracts from the total ban of bullying that all Christians schools should have regardless of the reason including if bullying occurs for no discernable reason.
ARPA’s guide will explain the worldviews that underpin the use of these terms and how they are antithetical to the gospel and harmful to the very children schools are charged with protecting. Instead, Christian schools should adopt policies that are infused with scripture, maintain a zero-tolerance for harassment, and foster a Christian community that is loving and safe for all. Click here to read the report.
