Students are showing support for an anti-homophobia harassment policy through a petition that will be presented to the school district.
Image Credit: SOURCE/Facebook
May 30, 2013 - 2:38 PM
Students from South Kamloops Secondary are speaking out in support of a teacher request to have the school district create an anti-homophobia harassment policy.
A student petition asking the school district to support the development of a policy addressing homophobia began circulating at the school earlier this month and will be presented to the district next week by Grade 11 student Lindsay Campbell. Campbell said on Facebook in mid-May she was excited about the progress the petition was making.
"Lots of progress on my anti-homphobia petition! Going to send it around to all SD 73 schools :) make change happen!" she posted.
Don Wilson of the Kamloops Thompson Teachers Association presented a proposal for a discrete policy last month. In follow up with InfoTel News he said the push for having a policy in place comes on the heels of an assault incident a year and a half ago. The incident and the alleged mishandling of the situation had members of the Kamloops Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender community upset over statements that students invite bullying by the way they act. They believe a policy that helps even one student feel safer is worth having in place.
The trustees are hesitant to put a policy in place that could be seen as excluding other groups but have agreed to send the the report to a policy committee for further review. Superintendent Terry Sullivan expects the committee will consult several groups and will likely report back to the board in the fall.
To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca or call (250) 819-3723.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013