All cases
Schoolchild Punished for Refusing to Memorise a Verse of the Koran
January 29, 2013, FranceA child at a Catholic school in France was punished for refusing to memorise a verse of the Koran in January 2013. At the school of Notre Dame de St Mihiel in the Meuse, Lorraine, a pupil refused to memorise a verse of the Koran as a part of a class on Islam. Two mothers arranged a meeting with the teacher to explain their disagreement with the punishment. Instead of removing the punishment or allowing the student to opt-out of the class the school director informed the mother of the punished child that she considers removing the child from the school.
New Mandatory Sex Ed Programme Violates Rights of Parents
January 27, 2013, CroatiaChristian parents are outraged over the contents of the governments new sex ed. programme. The government insisted and made opting out illegal, until the constitutional court found that the contents were against the law.
Minister of Science, Education and Sports Recommendation not in Keeping with Legal Regulations
January 1, 2013, CroatiaThe Recommendation by the Minister of Science, Education and Sports, Mr. Ž. Jovanović, on conducting religious instruction in elementary schools during the first and last hours of the day (as of April 3, 2012), is still in force. This Recommendation discriminates against the regular nature of religious instruction which was agreed upon in international contracts.
New Legislation on Gay Marriage Might Get Teachers Fired
November 18, 2012, United KingdomThe British Parliamentary Undersecretary of State, Liz Truss, states she was not able to rule out the possibility that teachers refusing to use stories or textbooks favoring same sex- marriage face disciplinary consequences.
German Parents Lose Custody of Their Children for Homeschooling
October 5, 2012, GermanyA district court in Darmstadt, Germany has revoked custody of four children from their parents and ordered it turned over to the Jugendamt, Germany’s child protective agency.
„Homeschooling“ Still Prohibited
September 19, 2012, GermanyParents rights are commonly understood to include the right to chose the form of education of one’s children, including the possibility of non-institutional education, such as the so-called homeschooling. Not so in Germany.
Compulsory Sex Ed Problematic for Christian Families
September 19, 2012, GermanyGermany’s strict federal laws on compulsory school attendance do not allow any opt out with regard to sexual education.
Prime Minister Thinks Teachers Should Not Be Allowed to Teach that Homosexual Behavior Was a Sin
September 16, 2012, United KingdomPrime minister David Cameron thinks that faith schools should not be allowed to teach that homosexuality is a sin, according to a quote featured by the Daily Mail.
Teachers and Others Threatened With Dismissal if They Didn’t Endorse Gay Marriage
September 12, 2012, United KingdomIf gay marriage is legalized, teachers and others could be forced out of their jobs if they fail to endorse such unions, a top lawyer says. Parents would have no right to insist that their children are withdrawn from school lessons across the curriculum that approve of same-sex marriage. Chaplains who work in the NHS or the Armed Forces could be dismissed if they preach that marriage is between a man and a woman.
CoE PACE Proposal Might Endanger Parents' Rights to Religious Education
September 6, 2012, European Institutions (EU, ECHR, et.al.)French member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe proposed a report on the protection of children against 'sectarian drifts' which possibly collides with the parents' right to religious education of their choice.
Teacher Flunks High School Student for Saying that Homosexuality is an “Abnormal Orientation"
September 1, 2012, SwedenDuring a biology class a Swedish high school student spoke up and called homosexuality an “abnormal sexual orientation”. As a result of this comment the teacher flunked the student. The reasoning of the teacher is that it is the task of the educational system to teach pupils respect for all sexual orientations. The opposing view of the student doesn’t correspond to the curriculum’s goal.
Boys Life Support Unit Switched Off Against The Wish of Christian Parents
August 29, 2012, United KingdomThe Judge of London’s Royal Court of Justice ruled on August 10th that the life support system of an 8-year- old boy may be switched off by team of doctors, ignoring parents’ wish to keep him alive.
Homeschooling Restricted in Austria
June 19, 2012, AustriaSeveral English – speaking Christian families who home educate their children in Austria have come under pressure by the Austrian school authorities for educating their children in English. They have been fined and threatened with the children being taken away – even though there are schools in Austria which teach exclusively in English.
Court Upholds Homeschooling-Ban Rendering Religious Convictions Irrelevant
April 25, 2012, GermanyReformed-baptist parents, who wanted to homeschool their three children, lost in the regional administrational court of Baden-Würtemberg in Mannheim. The parents wanted to homeschool to protect their children from a form of „emancipation“ they did not favor, as well as in order to teach them Christian sexual ethics.
Homeschooling Association Leader Feels Forced to Move to Finnland
March 2, 2012, SwedenJonas Himmelstrand, who is president of the Swedish Association for Home Education (ROHUS), has left the country saying, “the safety of my family could no longer be guaranteed,” and that the government of the town of Uppsala was “threatening” him.
Homeschooling Severely Limited, Proposal of Relaxation Rejected
February 29, 2012, SlovakiaTo educate one's children privately at home is understood to be a human right of parents. The state is called upon to ensure the quality of the home education. In Slovakia, the so-called homeschooling is severaly limited. Such a law jeopardizes especially Christians families, as practically it is often Christians who wish to homeschool their children.
Catholic Schools Singled Out and Targeted for Distributing Faith-Based Moral Literature
February 27, 2012, United KingdomAn Christian booklet has been distributed to students in some Catholic schools in Lancashire, UK. Its comments on homosexuality raised the discontent of UK’s largest trades union, who says that the government is allowing “homophobia” to be promoted in religious schools.
Labour Party Calls for Prohibition of Enrollment Policies Based on Religion in Catholic Schools
February 1, 2012, IrelandAccording to an Irish Labor party proposal to be discussed in April, ‘Catholics first’ policy in state-funded Catholic schools is illegal, discriminatory and should be abolished.
Liberal Politician Calls for Even Harsher Penalities of Restrictive Homeschooling Laws
January 10, 2012, SwedenThe Swedish liberal party politician Lotta Edholm called for even harsher penalties for homeschooling and for a change to the country’s social services law so that the government can take children away from home-schooling families more easily by allowing social workers to do so.
Sexual Education Class Violates Parents' Rights
December 4, 2011, HungaryHungarian parents of an 11-year-old reported that in December 2011 their daughter came back from school having experienced the following: a female university student had come to their public school in a village near Budapest to provide sexual education to the children. The young woman who was alone with the children for this class, showed them slides of male and female genitals and put a condom on a cucumber and encouraged the children to touch it.