The School District 57 board of education will be holding a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss changes to the school district's new ad hoc committee on truth and reconciliation and the United Nations' Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
On Nov. 3 the board of education approved the committee's terms of reference – the rules determining the membership, scope, purpose, etc. of the committee – in principle, with with intention of allowing the committee to propose amendments to its own terms of reference.
The committee met on Dec. 14, and proposed changes to its scope, and rules around quorum and voting.
One of the biggest changes proposed is that quorum for the 16-member committee will require both school trustees and at least two members from each of the three First Nations participating.
The membership of the committee includes an elder, student, councillor and education manager/director from each of the Lheidli T'enneh Nation, McLeod Lake Indian Band and Simpcw First Nation. The other members are district trustees Betty Bekkering and Sharel Warrington, superintendent of schools Anita Richardson, secretary treasurer Darleen Patterson and director of indigenous education Pam Spooner.
In addition, a proposed change to the terms of reference calls for consensus decision making.
"The Ad Hoc Committee will attempt to achieve consensus when making recommendations to the Board," the proposed revision says. "In the event this is not possible, the recommendation must be supported by a majority vote of the representatives of each Nation and Two Trustees in attendance."
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the public has not been allowed to attend the board's meetings in person. The meeting will be live-streamed online. A link will be available on the district's website (www.sd57.bc.ca) ahead of the meeting. which starts at 6 p.m.
The board’s next regular meeting will be held on Jan. 26.
