Hanover school trustee asks for policy to address student activism

Hanover School Division is currently considering whether or not to have a policy on student activism that would define what would be acceptable.

During the last school board meeting, trustee Brad Unger made the motion to create a student activism policy, which was approved by the board unanimously.

“Recommendation that the board develop a policy that regulates activism in our schools. This policy would define activism as it applies to our schools to determine what, if any, amount of activism is appropriate in any of our schools, and what, if any, kind of activism is inappropriate,” said board chair Dallas Wiebe as he read the motion into the minutes during the meeting.

Unger defined activism as, “an activist is someone who is active…in campaigning for change, normally on political or social issues or environmental (issues)” and that the motivation for someone getting involved in activism are varied.

Unger told the board he is not against activism in general and that he will not comment on which causes should or shouldn’t be supported as that is not what his motion is about. He listed three points that should be considered: Should there be guardrails for activism in schools; if the activism that is being promoted is making students uncomfortable then what type of activism is acceptable; and third, would the activism be a distraction from learning or an enhancement?

“Students can be easily influenced to support or oppose certain causes if the encouragement to do so comes from adults that they trust. A teacher with strong political or social views might easily influence their students,” said Unger. “Is there a level of that that is okay? Maybe there is, maybe there’s a level of that that’s fine, but what is that level? What are the guardrails around that?”

He added during the meeting that Hanover students are children and should not be seen as “new recruits” and, as such, he tasked administration with creating a policy that sets “responsible parameters for staff, students, and outside influence.”

Unger did not respond to a request for an interview by The Carillon regarding his motion.

“The Provincial Code of Conduct: Behaviour Intervention and Response Using a Student-Centred and Strengths-Based Approach (2025) policy does not consider activism an inappropriate student behaviour that warrants a response, unless a student engages in additional activities that are inappropriate, such as physical violence, harassment or discrimination,” stated a provincial spokesperson in an email.

Student activism is protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including the freedom of peaceful assembly. It is also protected under the Public Schools Act.

At the meeting, trustee Jeff Friesen welcomed Unger’s motion, commenting that school activism “erodes the relationship” of families and “undermines the home.” He said a child will follow the beliefs of the teacher, which could go against the beliefs of the family.

“So activism, when it defies the people, the students, and the community you are serving, it causes a rift, and that’s the rift of the mental health issue we face. And I know why you’re bringing this up, for exactly that, I’ve said it before, I want to say it again…we’re not their parents, and we should not interfere in that family unit.

Trustee Cheryl Froese noted some teachers might be apprehensive in hearing that a motion such as this would be considered for policy as they teach political, social, and environmental issues as part of their curriculum covering government and the environment.

“I think in Hanover, we have seen examples where teachers who are able to teach government without getting into political fashion, let’s say, and they’re able to teach environmental studies without putting that rift. So, it’s possible, I would think,” she told Unger.

Unger responded that he is looking for what is appropriate and that it will be senior administration’s job to tell the board if it is curriculum or not, and the board should honour that.

Friesen noted there should be a balance of ideologies when teaching social, environmental, or political points of view in the classroom and he feels that is already happening.

Trustee Ron Falk liked the intent of the motion and recommended a review be done followed by a discussion with the board to see if a policy is needed and what that would look like. He recommended an amendment to the motion.

“I think we need to have a larger discussion about what is activism, what is acceptable, what isn’t, there’s a lot of good activism that takes place, and how is it possible to list all the good activism (and) by default name activism that isn’t good? This is a tall order to come up with, something that’s manageable,” he said.

Falk suggested changing the motion from “that the board develop a policy that regulates activism in our schools” to “that the board develop a policy that addresses activism in our schools.”

The board voted unanimously for the amendment and the motion.