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“What it also means is he’s not prepared to stand up on behalf of the most vulnerable kids in our school system.”

Kenney said the UCP caucus — which has been under his direction for a little over a week now — reached a consensus to oppose Bill 24.

At a news conference Tuesday, he said the unique circumstances of each child should be the key factor in determining when parents are told their child is in a GSA, “not the blunt instrument of law.”

“We believe that highly trained educators are in a much better position than politicians to exercise their discretion on whether it is in the best interests of children to engage parents,” he said.

Notley fired back that the bill ensures better protections for kids who need it.

“It ensures overall that we have inclusive schools that respect the basic human rights of kids who are part of any minority,” she said. “This is basic stuff.”

Protecting kids

Education Minister David Eggen said last week the government felt the new legislation is necessary to protect students against being “outed” to their parents.

He blamed Kenney for making Bill 24 necessary, pointing how Kenney told Postmedia in March that “parents have a right to know what’s going on with their kids in the schools unless the parents are abusive.”

The GSA issue was brought up time and again during the push for conservative unity and the recent UCP leadership race.

Notley said although her government has been working on the bill for a long time, the section that makes it crystal clear gay kids cannot be outed was added in the summer in response to those conversations.