Vancouver The so-called Corren Agreement is a unique deal on school curriculums reached after years of legal wrangling between a gay Vancouver couple and the provincial government. Peter and Murray Corren, who are married, have long fought to have students taught what they consider a more inclusive education - one that encompasses issues related to discrimination and social justice. Specifically, the Correns wanted recognition in the classroom of the historically harsh road that homosexuals have faced. In 1997, the couple complained to the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal that gays were being discriminated against in the public school system because they were not adequately represented in the curriculums. Just before the hearing was scheduled to start in 2006, the couple and the government reached a controversial agreement in exchange for the Correns dropping their claim. From the start, the Corren Agreement has been much despised by some groups. For instance, the deal gives the Correns a consulting role with the Ministry of Education, a provision that rankled those who want to keep activist agendas out of schools. Conservative religious groups were also angered by the other part of the settlement, which makes provision for a new elective course on social justice to be offered to grade 12 students. That course, which was finally approved by the Correns in April and was expected to be taught in the new school year, deals with discrimination, both racial and sexual. Now, however, the course has run into a roadblock thrown up in Abbotsford, about an hour's drive east of Vancouver and one of the most conservative Christian school districts in the province. Although 90 Abbotsford students signed up for the course, the school board raised concerns. The board said the subject material was better suited for university students, and that teachers were not adequately trained on the material. Furthermore, the school board this month said in a letter to the ministry that it needed time to review the course before putting it in classrooms, because the topics encroached on 'areas of family values, beliefs and practices'. The Corren Agreement has the backing of the powerful British Columbia Federation of Teachers, but the Abbotsford school district is supported by a strong base of conservative Christians and parents. They have made clear their view that there is no place in the classroom for discussions about sexuality. K-John Cheung is the head of the 1,000-member Canadian Alliance for Social Justice and Family, made up mainly of conservative Chinese parents. He says members in Abbotsford are adamant that they will fight to keep the Correns' course out of schools. Mr Cheung says that even though it's an elective, students will be pressured by teachers and classmates to take the class. 'Our concern is they're using the over-arching concept of social justice in order to force students to accept diversity because they say diversity is social justice,' Mr Cheung says. 'And from diversity they are hoping to force students to accept various sexual orientations.' Parents should have more rights in determining what is taught in schools, according to Mr Cheung, who says the current system gives more voice to activists and teachers driven by special interests.
