Red Deer Public Schools maintaining status quo on SOGI policy
In the wake of a strongly-worded letter from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), Red Deer Public Schools says it will not be changing its policies around sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).
The JCCF dispersed a letter Oct. 9, though not to Red Deer Public Schools, which stated that the School Act, the legislation in effect under the NDP, infringed the rights of parents as it relates to being notified of a child’s participation in a gay-straight alliance (GSA).
The letter goes on to suggest that because the United Conservatives have implemented the Education Act, school boards should do away with previous policy which restricted such information from parents. It reiterates that should school boards maintain those policies, they will be violating the Charter-protected rights and freedoms of students and parents.
“No, Red Deer Public will not be making any changes to our already strong policy regarding sexual orientation and gender identification,” says Board Chair Nicole Buchanan. “We believe the safety of all students is extremely important.”