Hanover schools release diversity policy

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/09/2014 (3511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Hanover School Division has passed the human diversity policy mandated by the province as a result of last year’s controversial Bill 18 legislation.

The ‘Respect for Human Diversity’ document pledges that the HSD board of trustees will provide and maintain a “positive and inclusive environment” in which everyone’s human rights are respected. 

Support for gay-straight alliances, which was referenced in Bill 18 and helped spur a local petition of more than 2,700 names against the legislation, were not directly named in the division’s policy.

That said, gay-straight alliances fall under a section of the HSD-written policy promising to accommodate those students who wish to establish and lead organizations “that promote respect for human rights, diversity and dignity.”

When asked if he thinks Bill 18 opponents will support the division’s new policy, Hanover School Division superintendent Randy Dueck was unsure.

“I don’t know how they will respond,” he replied. “I would like to think that when they look at this document they will see that’s it’s a very fair-minded document.”

The policy was published on HSD’s website last Wednesday. It can be found here. 

More on the diversity policy and what it means for the division in the Sept. 11 edition of The Carillon.