School District 71 is taking its next step toward developing a more up-to-date anti-discrimination policy.
The board set up an ad hoc committee earlier this year to look at revising the wording of policy around discrimination in schools.
At the last meeting of the school year, trustee and policy committee chair Michelle Waite presented the draft of what they have written.
“I’m really excited at the place we’ve landed,” she told her colleagues at the board meeting.
The next move will be to seek input from education and community partners during the fall, with a timeline of November to complete the process.
“We will be going to schools to have those conversations with students,” trustee Janice Caton added.
Superintendent Tom Demeo said the district hopes to bring “more voices to the table” and there will be opportunities for people to provide their feedback online.
As part of the process to draft a new document, the committee looked at the work of other districts in the province and how they handle issues of discrimination, to reduce duplication by the group.
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The draft document for Policy 24 sets out the board’s commitment to inclusive, equitable treatment and opportunities for everyone in the school system. It references federal and provincial human rights legislation, the B.C. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and the BC Multicultural Act, while acknowledging that discrimination exists in many forms. Among other things, it also talks about educational and employment equity while celebrating diversity.
The board of education was prompted to start this discussion earlier in the school year because of reports of discrimination within the community. At a meeting in January, board chair Sheila McDonnell said the previous policies in some cases dated back to the 1970s and contained limited wording. Eventually, the district policy evolved with stronger language and reference to rights being recognized, though most of the language is in the administrative regulations and not the actual policy.
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