More than a dozen schools under Quebec's watch for possible violations of secularism law

Quebec's Education Ministry is currently monitoring 17 schools for potential breaches of the province's secularism law, known as Bill 21.

In a statement, the ministry announced that auditors would visit these schools between now and mid-January to ensure compliance. The monitoring follows several complaints and reports of potential violations related to the law's core principles: the separation of state and religion, religious neutrality, equality, and the protection of freedom of conscience and religion.

Education Minister Bernard Drainville emphasized that the audits are necessary to protect students, stating, "Schools exist for them. Their safety and well-being must be our top priorities. We cannot allow individuals with unacceptable behaviors or motives based on ideologies or personal beliefs to enter our schools."

The move comes after Premier François Legault’s announcement last month about enforcing secularism more effectively in schools, which followed a controversy at Bedford elementary school in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood. A government report revealed that 11 teachers at the school were suspended and had their teaching licenses revoked for creating a toxic environment. The report, which spanned 90 pages, examined the conduct of these teachers, their competence, and the role religion may have played in the tensions. The teachers involved were largely of Maghrebi origin, though the report also noted staff from other backgrounds as part of the problematic group. It recommended that the school service center improve its ability to monitor staff competence and conduct.

While the report found instances of teachers engaging in religious practices like prayer or ablutions, it noted that these activities generally occurred outside of student hours and on the teachers' own time.

On October 22, after the Bedford report was released, Minister Drainville announced that an investigative committee had gathered enough evidence to suggest that the secularism law was not being properly enforced. The auditors' findings will inform the government's next steps regarding these schools and broader efforts to enforce the law.

The 17 schools currently under scrutiny, along with their respective school service centers, include:

1. Saint-Odile (Centre de services scolaire de la Capitale)
2. Cardinal Roy (Centre de services scolaire de la Capitale)
3. Henri Beaulieu (Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys)
4. des Saint-Anges (Centre de services scolaire Marie-Victorin)
5. Jean-Jacques-Rousseau (Centre de services scolaire des Mille-Îles)
6. Saint-Pascal-Baylon (Centre de services scolaire de Montreal)
7. Bienville (Centre de services scolaire de Montreal)
8. La Voie (Centre de services scolaire de Montreal)
9. École Saint-Justin (Centre de services scolaire de Montreal)
10. Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption (Centre de services scolaire de Montreal)
11. la Dauversière-Évangéline (Centre de services scolaire de Montreal)
12. Mont-de-La Salle (Centre de services scolaire de Laval)
13. Leblanc (Centre de services scolaire de Laval)
14. École d'éducation internationale Filteau (Centre de services scolaire des Découvreurs)
15. École polyvalente de l'Érablière (Centre de services scolaire des Draveurs)
16. Saint-Isidore (Centre de services scolaire des Rives-du-Saguenay)
17. Saint-Denis (Centre de services scolaire des Rives-du-Saguenay)

Additionally, a report last month about possible religious indoctrination at Alphonse-Pesant elementary school in Montreal prompted Drainville to seek answers from the Pointe-de-l'Île school service center. However, this school was not included in Thursday's list.