The Delta school district strives to address concerns through meaningful dialogue, says board chair Dale Saip.
That comment last Friday was in response to a request by a pair of South Delta Secondary students to add a provision regarding homophobia to the district's anti-bullying policy.
At a presentation to the Delta school board earlier in the week, Grade 12 student Maddy Van Beek and Grade 10 student Rachel Garrett asked for a specific policy dealing with the issue.
Saip said the district is inviting concerned students to join them at the Superintendent's Council made up of teachers, students, parents and administration to discuss ideas and concerns.
"Our current bullying policy states that we do not tolerate any form of discrimination in our schools; this includes discrimination based on sexual orientation. So it is addressed in our current policy," Saip said.
"However, students, teachers and parents have come to us with real concerns of anti-homophobia discrimination in our schools. We need to ensure their concerns are attended to. At this point, we don't know what the final actions and recommendations will be, be it new policy or other action, we don't know the outcomes yet," he said.
Van Beek told the Optimist having the proposal brought forward at the Superintendent's Council is a step in the right direction.
Noting parent response has, so far, been extremely positive, she said a model anti-homophobia policy was devised using one inspired by the Burnaby school district.
"A lot of what the Burnaby policy focused on was education and a bit on the punitive measures for those who displayed homophobia. But it's mostly education and we think education is absolutely the most crucial," Van Beek said.
"If people are educated about these things, they'll realize these are painful words they're using. If people are more educated, then homophobia will decrease much faster," she added.
Saip said he's not against an anti-homophobia policy, but he's reluctant to jump into a policy that could detract from other forms of bullying.
"However, students have come forward with a real issue that affects their lives and the lives of many other students. It is our responsibility as the board of education to ensure their concerns are genuinely attended to," he said.
The B.C. NDP last year called on the government to ensure every school in the province has specific policies regarding homophobia and transphobia.
Earlier this year, the West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund also asked the government to introduce a provincial policy to prevent homophobia in schools.
In a letter to Premier Christy Clark and Education Minister George Abbott, the advocacy group stated, "All students have a right to feel safe in their schools, and all students have a right to attend school without fear of discrimination, harassment or abuse.
While these rights extend to all students equally, we know that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth are particularly vulnerable to bullying in schools."
The group pointed out the Burnaby school district became the latest to have a specific policy, but it's only one of a small number of B.C. districts to have done so. The failure of a majority of school districts to implement human rights and antidiscrimination language into their codes of conduct demonstrates the need for province-wide anti-bullying legislation, according to the group.
The Burnaby board has faced vocal opposition from a group of parents that said the new policy isn't necessary because the district's code of conduct already includes sexual orientation as a protected right.
Earlier this school year Van Beek and Garrett started the Alliance Club at SDSS, a gay-straight alliance to end homophobia and promote acceptance.
The group has held several events, including a special school assembly.
sgyarmati@delta-optimist.com
