New Brunswick parent concerned new religious accommodation policy will alienate students

A new policy at a New Brunswick school district that requires parents to apply for approval for religious accommodations has one parent concerned it will alienate students.

The approval would be needed for accommodations such as access to a prayer room, fasting or missing school for religious reasons within the Francophone South School District.

“Their process (creates) all of these administrative hoops for people to jump through in order to access very basic rights to prayer — like a quiet room to pray or a quiet corner to pray,” said parent Hafsah Mohammad, whose family is Muslim.

“We’re not asking for anything complex, but they’re making it seem very complex.”

Mohammad, who has a daughter in Grade 3, described the policy as an “affront” that makes the Muslim community feel “othered”