OCDSB chair says school absences on the first day of Pride month are ‘disappointing’
Posted Jun 2, 2023 05:09:06 PM.
Last Updated Jun 2, 2023 05:15:55 PM.
As rainbow-coloured flags swayed in the record-breaking heat, some students were reportedly absent from their seats on the first day of Pride month.
“We’ve received form letters from a number of members in the community who expressed a dislike for the celebration about the LGBTQ community by the school board, but the school board has celebrated LGBTQ positivity since at least 2001 when we passed our equity and education policy,” Lyra Evans, chair of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), told CityNews.
The board’s code of conduct states that all members of the OCDSB community shall “respect the human rights and dignity of each person, differences in people, their ideas, and their opinions,” and “not threaten or take reprisal against another person in the OCDSB community for enforcing their rights, the rights of others, and/or raising a concern under an OCDSB policy.”
Evans said that there has been a rise in anti-2SLGBTQ+ hate, adding that students might not feel welcome when schools choose not to fly the Pride flag.
In a press release issued on Thursday, June 1, the OCDSB said that it reaffirms its values in “creating and sustaining a culture of caring where 2SLGBTQ+ students, families and staff matter and are welcome, seen and represented at the OCDSB.”
According to a 2019 survey conducted by the OCDSB, which interviewed more than 34,000 students and parents, 16 per cent of students in grades seven to 12 identified as 2SLGBTQ+.
When asked whether the letters received by the school board were disappointing, Evans responded: “Tolerance is one of the stated goals of Canadian society—we strive, as a people, to be understanding of others and so it is kind of disappointing, yeah.”
Evans acknowledged that the absences could also have been due to extreme heat, which reached 34 degrees on Thursday.
