The Winnipeg School Division passed a motion to ask the province to change who decides whether religious groups can set up in public schools.
Monday night, the board of trustees voted to ask the province to review wording in the Public Schools Act section on religious instruction.
The issue stems from a petition by Child Evangelism Fellowship, an extracurricular religious club, to operate at Greenway School. The CEF said it was present at about 40 Manitoba schools and did not try to recruit students.
Under the Public Schools Act, if a petition is submitted with 25 signatures, a group or club is allowed to use school space.
Trustee Lisa Naylor put forward a motion to change the act’s wording from “the school board shall pass a by-law authorizing instruction in religion” to “it may pass.” Naylor says the division should have more authority over who's allowed in schools.
The motion passed 7-2 Monday evening. Now, the board will ask the province to review its act.
