Home-schooler, religious groups cautiously optimistic about Quebec school bill
MONTREAL — A Quebec education bill that gives the province greater powers to enforce compulsory school attendance is getting a passing grade from the communities it most affects.
Representatives from Quebec’s Orthodox Jewish Community and a home-schooling parents’ association say they’re cautiously optimistic about Bill 144, which grants Quebec’s Education Department new powers to inspect private homes or unlicensed schools to ensure children are receiving a proper education.
The bill, which was adopted by Quebec’s legislature last week, is partly a response to concerns over unlicensed religious schools, which have faced questions in the past about whether they’re following the provincial curriculum.
Under the new regulations, officials can enter the institutions to verify that children who attend them are also getting a conventional education.