After 18 months of listening to stories of students being bullied as a result of their perceived or actual sexual preferences, School District 57 trustees have decided to act.
The school board voted unanimously Tuesday to draft a standalone policy to address the concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) students who fear for their own safety in Prince George and district schools.
"A standalone policy says we're serious, this is not allowed, it will outline the [unacceptable] behaviours and will also help the person who has the report given to them and the action that will be taken," said trustee Trish Bella.
"We have heard, for the last year-and-a-half here, the stories and the ongoing physical and mental abuse of these students. It's not only students who identify with LGBTQ, it's also straight students who are being called derogatory names."
During Tuesday's public school board meeting, Kat Doucette, the parent of Grade 10 student in Prince George, told the board her son is continually being picked on at school and is having suicidal thoughts due to a lack of enforcement of rules against discrimination as outlined in the district's student code of conduct. Members of the Gay-Straight Alliance, a student support group, and SD 57 teachers also spoke out in favour of the board adopting a standalone LGBTQ policy.
"If we're talking student safety, it hurts nobody that an extra policy is created," said Bella.
The draft policy will require trustee approval in a vote and will also require consultation with school staff before it would be adopted. Bella believes the reporting and enforcement of sexual-preference bullying and discrimination will be improved if the district has a standalone policy.
"If it's all clear in one location, it tells somebody it's important to us, we take it seriously, we care about student safety and their well-being," Bella said. "I think that will add so much help to teachers who say, 'We need the support to stop it.'"
