Parents of Jewish children attending two Toronto schools will hereafter have the option of obtaining exemption of attendance by their children at classes in religious instruction. Under Ontario provincial law, such classes must be provided in schools all of which, in Canada, are operated under Christian denominational auspices.
The compromise plan was arranged for Cedar Grove and North Wilmington schools in Toronto. It provides that parents will be asked, during registration periods, to state their preference regarding participation by their children in religious classes which have been shifted to a half hour between 3:30 and 4 p. m. weekly.
The compromise formula was agreed on after numerous meetings attended by Mrs. Dorothy Bishop, the Board of Education trustee for Ward Five of Toronto, and representatives of the Canadian Jewish Congress and local rabbis. In announcing the new plan, Mrs. Bishop said that “evolution, not revolution, is the aim. We want to avert bad feelings.”
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