Steinbach-area trustees meet with MTS president amid LGBTTQ* controversy

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This article was published 29/06/2016 (3399 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society has offered its assistance to the Hanover School Division in Steinbach as the division grapples with an ongoing controversy over discussing sexual identity issues in the classroom.

Manitoba Teachers’ Society president Norm Gould spoke at a meeting of the division board Wednesday evening, telling members MTS will work with the school division to achieve a “safe and inclusive learning environment.”

“We are offering our services, our expertise, our connections and our commitment to work alongside Hanover School Division,” Gould said in a news release. 

The Hanover school division’s current policy says teachers up to Grade 8 should call parents if a child inquires about topics including sexual orientation and abortion. It also suggests the child talk to a counsellor, a trusted relative or a help line.

Michelle McHale and her partner Karen Phillips asked that students be allowed to discuss sexual orientation in class at a school division meeting in April. The pair say one of their children was bullied at a school in the Hanover School Division because they are a same-sex couple,

On June 7, a majority of school trustees spoke out against the request. One suggested a link between sex education and higher rates of cancer.

While Gould applauded the division for the steps it has taken to create an “inclusive” learning environment, he also added as the area’s population grows that the face of southeast Manitoba is changing.

“And with this diversification comes new complexities that create challenges and opportunities for students, teachers, parents and you,” he said, according to a transcript of Wednesday’s presentation provided by MTS.

“We aren’t downplaying or dismissing what you as school trustees and the community wrestle with… we totally understand and recognize that change isn’t easy. We get that this topic triggers emotional reactions in some people.”

Hanover officials told the Free Press earlier on Wednesday that trustees will listen to Gould, but will not respond to his presentation.

— with files from The Canadian Press