By Sam Borsato - @BorsatoSam on Twitter

School District 51 Responds to Criticism of Sexuality Policy

Aug 30, 2016 | 4:08 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Public School District 51 offered an official reaction after a somewhat scathing report on its Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Policy.
 
The independent body, Public Interest Alberta (PIA), released a report on Tuesday comparing policies from four different school districts. The group came up with six criteria to base their judgements around.
 
It reported that Lethbridge was given a B-grade for its policy that was released this spring, with Red Deer Public Schools receiving a near-perfect score.
 
PIA stated that District 51 should focus more on LGBT staff, same-sex parents and supports for transgender and non-conforming students. However, it did give points for the policy being made available to the public, how well it complies with government standards and doesn’t impose any special requirements or constraints.
 
Mich Forster, District 51 Board Chair, noted that they are still waiting for the government’s official feedback at this point. While it’s still in it’s very early stages, he’s happy with how the policy has turned out so far.
 
“We are governed by the standards of the province and we need to adhere to those regulations. But we also represent our community. I think the process we went through, where we had extensive consultations, gave our public an opportunity to be involved, and our policy does reflect that.”
 
Forster stated that the PIA group is comparing all four districts to a certain ideal, and that can be difficult since every community has unique expectations.
 
He also said that extending the process to include more consultation set them back from other districts, but will start looking at more specific procedures and refined regulations as the new school year begins.