A paper heart reads 'How could you take away our voices?' in front of the Red Deer Public Schools central offices. (Credit: Black and Indigenous Alliance)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

School council chair feels Pride Week concerns dismissed by board

Mar 19, 2021 | 9:57 AM

Parents are the latest to share their displeasure with the recent decision by Red Deer Public Schools to approve Diversity Week instead of Pride Week.

A meeting of the district’s City Wide School Council was held the evening of March 9. Though the matter wasn’t on the agenda, it became a focal point when Board Chair Nicole Buchanan was asked about it by several parents.

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Public school board stands behind Diversity Week decision

STRONG FEELINGS ‘DISMISSED’

Sarah Rollingson, City Wide School Council chair, feels the district’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) policy is strong, but Red Deer Public Schools doesn’t realize how much it’s asking of students to go out of their way to request Pride-related events in their school, as the division has repeatedly stated the policy allows.

“Students within that community aren’t always strong enough to ask. Sometimes they need grown-ups around them to proactively do something for them.”

Chandra Kastern, who also attended the March 9 meeting, agrees with Rollingson that the process has been poor.

Kastern points to “vile” comments by parents during a recent ThoughtExchange survey conducted by the district that show why Pride Week is necessary.

Shared with rdnewsNOW, one such comment reads, “LGBTQ community is NOT my community and it should not be forced on our children … alternate lifestyles goes against Christian beliefs and therefore should not be included in our children’s education.”

Another comment suggested kids are too young to grasp the meaning of Pride and what LGBTQ2S+ is.

STUDENT SPEAKS OUT

A student in Red Deer Public Schools, who goes by Watercolor, shared with rdnewsNOW a letter she presented to trustees.

Watercolor begins by expressing disappointment, adding that asking students to understand division policy is laughable.

“Even with the knowledge they can (request Pride-related events), many students who need Pride are afraid to come out to ask for it. It may be because of an unsafe environment at home that stops them from speaking up, or bullying at school,” she wrote to trustees. “By neglecting Pride in favour of Diversity Week, you marginalize the already minimized groups. Lumping LGBTQ2IA+ in with every other cultural minority, racialized person and person with a disability, is not celebrating diversity.”

“We need a louder voice,” Watercolor adds, “because even with us screaming at the top of our lungs, we still go unheard and neglected.”

SCHOOL DIVISION OFFERS FINAL WORD

“Leadership involves making difficult and challenging decisions. The board fully understood that when it deliberated and made its original decision in February and stands by it today,” reads a statement attributed to the Red Deer Public Schools Board of Trustees. “There was no motion, and therefore no vote, for the decision to be reconsidered. Again, this is the prerogative of the board.”

The statement notes the board decides how it receives presentations, and reiterates that at its March meeting, the superintendent was directed to review the SOGI policy and take care of planning Diversity Week.

Author’s note: LGBTQ2S+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Two-Spirited, while a variation with ‘I’ and ‘A’ stands for Intersex and Asexual.

Editor’s note: This story originally contained statements attributed to Board Chair Nicole Buchanan that were not verified. We have removed those comments from the story and apologize for the error.