Illegal Hasidic school targeted in youth protection raid

Anillegal school in the RosemontLa Petite-Patrie borough was the target of a youth protection operation on Wednesday, led by Batshaw Youth and Family Centres with the help of the Montreal police.

The school is operated by the ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community, apparentlyoperating without an Education Ministry permit.

About 60 students attend the school, a three-storey brick building featuring a storefront with covered windowson Parc Avenue at the corner of Beaubien Street.

There was a heavy police presence at the school on Wednesday.

Dozens of Hasidic boys were seen exiting the school, using their hats to cover their faces.

• Outremont moves ahead with controversial ban on places of worship

Earlier, police escorted a group of a dozen women out of the school and to their cars. Some of them were holding folders, but neither they nor police would confirm if they were teachers in the school.

Negotiations for access to school

Youth protection officials had beenattempting to arrange a visit to the school to assess the children andcame with police Wednesday to gain access.

Officials from the school says they had been in negotiations withBatshaw about scheduling that visit when the raid occurred.

Acommunity spokesperson told CBC the school never refused access toyouth protection officialsbut could not say how long thosenegotiations had been going on.

HershberHirsch, a member of the school's board, said the visit will take place "in the coming weeks." He saidtheraid was notrequired.

"We are certainly not very happy with the trauma caused to the kids, which was not in any way necessary given our co-operation with the [youth services] up until now," he said.

"We will surely continue to cooperate with them," he said.

Claire Roy, a spokeswoman for CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'le-de-Montral the regional health and social services agency under which Batshaw falls would not comment about the nature of the operation, citing the restrictions in Quebec's Youth Protection Act.

Police also would not comment.

Education MinisterSbastienProulxwould only sayhe is "aware of the raid," while aspokesperson for the Education Ministry said there isn't a registered school at the location.

Debate over religious accommodation

Montreal's Hasidic population is situated mostly innearby Mile End and inOutremont.

Schools in the tight-knit religiouscommunity havecome under increased scrutiny for failing to complywith Education Ministry requirements.

The community has alsooccasionally been the target ofmunicipal bylawsand afocal point in the province'sdebate over religious accommodation.

On Monday, Outremont's borough councilmoved ahead withacontroversialbylaw that wouldbanthe establishment of new places of worship, including synagogues, on two mainthoroughfares.

The raid comes a day after a report from Radio-Canadaabout anillegal Hasidic school in Outremont, Beth Esther Academy.

In the report, the all-girls school showed how it was attempting to comply with provincial law by meeting the requirements forhome-schooledchildren.