Golden Hills School Division will be going to parents to discuss school policies and how they relate to Bill 10 and new guidelines to respect sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.
The Education Act was amended by Bill 10 last May, and in January current Education Minister Davis Eggen asked school boards to draft a policy that supports students, reflecting changes to the Alberta Human Rights Act and Bill 10.
The school division has set to work on drafting policy to address these changes.
“In every Golden Hills School, it is our first priority that all students feel safe and accepted. We do not tolerate bullying and work hard to nurture classroom and school environments, which are not only accepting of diversity but are supportive and encouraging for all students. It is also important to us that all of our students know that the adults in the building care about their development and care about them as individuals,” it states in a press release.
The division recognizes that parents may have questions about these changes and are planning to hold meetings at division schools in early March. When dates are selected, they will be posted on school websites and through social media.
“We want to give parents an opportunity to talk about our policies first hand and ask any questions in regards to the impact this may have in our schools.”
Bevan Daverne, superintendent at Golden Hills says they are planning five meetings.
A draft of the new policy can be viewed at www.ghsd75.ca
“None of what is in Bill 10 is new to us, we have had quite a variety of circumstances that have required support in lots of different ways,” said Daverne. “We are just adding some language to existing policies to meet the legislations… but our processes and supports for our kids really don’t change very much.”