From: catarina@pamnell.com (Catarina Pamnell)
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: News Denmark: No to Scn preschool
Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 22:32:46 GMT
Message-ID: <38bc48cf.34106052@news1.tninet.se>

Abbreviated from Jyllands-Posten 26 February, 2000.


_Scientology: No to Scientology preschool in Copenhagen_

A group of Scientology parents in Copenhagen feel heavily
discriminated against, since they can't get public subsidy for their
child care.

They want to have their children raised in the spirit of Scientology,
in that the teachers follow a "child philosophy" developed by the
founder of the movement, L. Ron Hubbard. Since the city is giving
contributions to Rudolf Steiner-preschools or Christian child
institutes, it should also be possible to get subsidies for a
Scientology preschool, the parents say, but Valby Bydel [the city
district of Valby] within the City of Copenhagen says no.

The city district rejects the Scientology preschool Lillekilden
['Little Spring'], since it fears that the children will be forced
into following the ideology of the movement. According to the city
district rejection, the problem is that Scientology does not promote
qualities such as 'openness, tolerance and respect for others'.

The parents have appealed the decision, but recently the
Indenrigsministeriet [Department of the Interior] supported Valby city
district in this matter. Therefore, Lillekilden today has to operate
as a private child care institute, without receiving the city
subsidies that would amount to 3500-5900 DKR [about $500-840] per
month and child. 

Individual Scientology parents can circumvent this decision by
applying for a personal subsidy for private child care. This is still
accepted by Valby city district, but that may soon change. The City of
Copenhagen itself does not want to give any subsidies at all, and
therefore the battle will be taken to Den Sociale Ankestyrelse [The
National Social Board, which oversees matters regulated by social law
such as child care].  

Christine Astrupgaard from Lillekilden denies that there are any
religious contents in the educational methods used by the preschool,
and she underlines the fact that not all of the children come from
Scientology families.

The parents will make a complaint on the decision of the Department of
the Interior to the Parliament Ombudsman.




Catarina

http://xenu.just.nu

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