2023-11-08 05:56:58
For several weeks now, a school in Mouscron has been attracting all eyes. L’Saint Dominic Savio schoolwhich welcomes around 70 students, between kindergarten and the start of secondary school.
The establishment receives more than €100,000 each year from the City to pay the salaries of certain teachers.
Problem: beyond the use of public money for private Catholic education, one of the initiators of this school is preparing to publish a book containing anti-abortion, anti-evras, and discriminatory remarks for the community LGBTQIA+. Comments that would be likely to be discussed in class with students.
But let’s start at the beginning. In reality, this school is not really one… It is an association: the non-profit organization “Groupes Relais”. And it is not recognized by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Students enrolled in the school are therefore “schooled at home”.
This non-profit organization began its activities in the 1990s as a homework school. Before changing its name, to be called “Saint Dominique Savio School”. Its objective: to fight against academic failure. And it is with this objective that the mayor at the time, Jean-Pierre Detremmerie, provided, as for other associations, financial support from the City. Support that lasts until today, through personnel loans: three full-time equivalents paid by the city, for around €140,000 per year. And even up to €400,000 in 2007. An amount then distributed between the City, the Intercommunal Study and Management, and City Center Management.
If a teacher has had to experience an abortion, he or she can only teach if it is a past act, regretted and presented as such.
But recently, the school seems to prioritize the Catholic aspect, rather than the fight against failure. In any case, this is what the opposition put forward in the municipal council. The city’s representative on the board of directors of this school had also alerted the authorities earlier, during closed meetings, following a change in the status of the non-profit organization. Two members of the board of directors also resigned in May 2023 because they did not agree with the changes to the administrative project.
But what above all alerted the majority and the opposition was the writing of a book by two of the initiators of this non-profit organization. It traces the director’s commitment to this project. According to the head of the PS group, Fatima Ahallouch, we can find passages such as ” If a teacher has had to experience an abortion, he or she can only teach if it is a past act, regretted and presented as such.” or “divorce is wrong”. There would also be discriminatory passages for the LGBTQIA+ community. Without forgetting anti-EVRAS positions, these famous training courses on education in relational, emotional and sexual life.
The passages mentioned above are there in the book
We were able to obtain this book, the passages mentioned above are indeed there.
And that’s the last straw for the opposition in Mouscron… A few years ago, the City had decided to gradually reduce the financial aid granted to the non-profit organization. But more recently, in the municipal council, the socialists proposed to immediately end the provision of municipal staff. After debate, the majority instead noted the end of financial support for July 2024. Even if it underlines the good work of the non-profit organization in terms of the fight against academic failure.
For her part, the founder of the school takes note of the decision. On the other hand, she says she is surprised by the controversy, because she has never hidden the “Catholic” aspect since the creation of the school. She regrets the denigration of the school which “hides”, according to her, the good results of their teaching for young people in difficulty.
As for her book, she says she accepts her words but works in the Christian welcome of everyone.
As for the rest: “Catholic people in the region have the right to have this education for their children“, she writes to us, “I teach sex education to older children, but in my own way, while respecting the values that are ours.“
Unia seized of a file
We also learned that Unia, an independent public service fighting discrimination and promoting equal opportunities, had received a complaint for “hate speech”.
Contacted, the office of the Minister of Education, Caroline Désir explains to us that Saint Dominique Savio escapes their regulations and school program: “Children take their certification tests by central jury“, we are told, “if they succeed in the planned program, we have nothing to say“. The cabinet still says it is worried about the situation, particularly regarding the financing of this school by the city.
Recognized as a basic homework school, we also contacted the office of Minister Linard, in charge of out-of-school care, she told us that she had been questioned about this establishment and had mandated the ONE for an inspection.
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