Hanover school board states its position on inclusivity

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This article was published 12/05/2024 (421 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

During the May 7 Hanover School Division meeting, the board read a statement to a room filled with parents and concerned citizens regarding LGBTQ and Indigenous rights.

In its statement, read by chair Brad Unger, the board showed it is legally obligated to follow the Public Schools Act, Education Administration Act, provincial legislation, the Manitoba Human Rights Code, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“I think there is a lot of you in this room that came expecting a discussion. Maybe you had some different thoughts on what that discussion would look like and what was going to be said. We as a board decided that we wanted to present the policies that were very important to us that everybody here in this room understand what the Manitoba policies are and that we as a school division adhere to it. That was important to us.”

Unger read that the board and the community have reached common ground in that they both agree that children need to feel love and that they are valued and that every child should feel safe in school.

Parents applauded the statement at the end of the meeting, but there were some who felt the board needs to go further.

“I feel that they gladhanded and spoke niceties when they said that everyone who came to the meeting today were equally concerned and cared about all students equally, because I believe that a lot of our community doesn’t care about all students equally. They’re much more concerned about the students that are not marginalized. And that they are most concerned about making sure that those students are comfortable rather than valuing the life experiences of marginalized students and I don’t feel like that was addressed. I think that that was ignored and I’m disappointed by that,” said parent Steven Harder.

Bambi Bertholet said she came to the meeting because one of the parents in the community didn’t feel safe coming to discuss how her daughter was sent home with an Indigenous issues assignment that asked to list two positive things about the residential school system.

“I’m here representing some of those parents. Plus, I have Indigenous friends whose children are also in these schools and their kids experience micro-aggressions all the time because they’re Indigenous…I would like to see more care given to the education that is happening around Indigenous issues and even bringing in and paying for Indigenous elders to teach those things because they’re the ones who have that knowledge.”

The board stated its position as a reaction to a letter sent to the minister of education by a coalition of parents who are for LGBTQ and Indigenous rights and felt some on the board were being discriminatory in entering motions, passing policies, and addressing LGBTQ issues.