Scholars criticize Catholic educators for targeting professor
Critical letters penned by Catholic educators to the University of Alberta about a professor who chided two Alberta Catholic school boards are an unwarranted attack on academic freedom, scholars say.
Two Catholic school district superintendents and two groups representing Catholic school boards and superintendents wrote to the university’s chancellor and president last fall to complain about comments made by educational policy studies professor Kristopher Wells regarding school board policies meant to protect LGBTQ students.
“These are the big guns. This is the heavy hammer. And it’s brought down on one academic who has the temerity to give an unfavourable grade to school boards’ efforts. It’s appalling,” said Larry Booi, president and board chairman of the advocacy group Public Interest Alberta. “I think they misstepped. I think it’s bullying. It’s an attempt at silencing, and I think they should be embarrassed.”
The university’s president said he will defend the professor’s right to academic freedom “at all costs.”
“I have complete support for Kris Wells and the research he does. I defend his right to make statements based on the research he does,” David Turpin said Friday from Mexico City.
In 2015, Education Minister David Eggen ordered all school boards, independent and charter schools in the province to create or amend policies that spell out how gender diverse students’ rights would be protected in schools. Nearly a year after boards were required to submit them to the ministry, the minister has not said how many of them comply with the law.
Last August, Wells and Public Interest Alberta issued a “report card” analyzing how well four of those policies complied with laws passed in 2015. They concluded Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools’ policy failed to protect students, and gave Grande Prairie Catholic Schools’ policy a D grade. The school districts refuted Wells’ findings.
Last September, the superintendents of both school districts, the then-president of the Council of Catholic School Superintendents of Alberta and the president of the Alberta Catholic School Trustees’ Association wrote letters to Turpin and university chancellor Douglas Stollery calling Wells’ statements “inaccurate and intolerant.”
They took issue with Wells’ comments that teaching students chastity is “embarrassing and inappropriate in 2016.”
“Is Dr. Wells lecturing his U of A education students to promote their grade school students being sexually active?” state letters from both the Grande Prairie Catholic school board and the Catholic superintendents’ group.
Wells undermined the quality of work done by Alberta’s Catholic schools, and discriminated against their religion, both letters said.
In her Sept. 16, 2016, letter, Alberta Catholic School Trustees’ Association president Adriana LaGrange said Wells articulated “negative and harmful views toward Catholic education in Alberta.”
Turpin responded to all four on Oct. 28. 2016, with letters saying the interim dean of education discussed the letters with Wells, who is happy to talk about his findings directly with the school boards.
“Professors have the academic freedom to express opinions on their research expertise, which stimulates dialogue and brings greater understanding about multi-faceted issues,” Turpin wrote to LaGrange.
Wells said none of the letter writers has approached him directly.
None of the organizations would do a phone interview with the Journal.
Shawn Haggarty, past-president of the Catholic superintendents’ association, and Grande Prairie Catholic schools superintendent Karl Germann sent an identical one-line written reply to a request for comment, saying “These are professional conversations between educational institutions.”
Greater St. Albert Catholic superintendent David Keohane would not comment.
Those defending Wells say the letters were an unjustified attempt to have his employer punish him for expressing his views.
The letters were an inappropriate response and “a grave concern,” said Carolyn Sale, president of the Association of Academic Staff of the University of Alberta.
“We can’t have individuals being pressured behind closed doors to retract their views, or be in retreat from positions that they would otherwise take,” she said.
Wells said the letters made him “think twice” about doing the work.
“But I’m not going to be silenced. The issues at stake are far too important,” Wells said.
He questions what message the letters send to youth currently enrolled in those districts’ schools.
“My concern is about the level of support for LGBTQ youth who still remain vulnerable and are more vulnerable, as we know, in rural and often religious-based schools.”