(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
June 14, 2013 - 10:41 AM
KAMLOOPS - The superintendent is recommending a student petition in support of an anti-homophobia policy presented to School District 73 at the beginning of June to be included in the consultation process this fall.
At the end of April the Kamloops Thompson Teachers Association presented a report to the board of education outlining the need for a discrete anti-homophobia policy. Because a policy on bullying is already in place the board was immediately hesitant of putting another policy in place but was willing to send it to the policy committee for further review.
Students across the city decided to lend their voice to the cause as South Kamloops Secondary Grade 11 student Lindsay Campbell circulated a petition in support of a specific policy to deal with homophobia. She gathered more than 770 signatures from students at her school, NorKam Secondary, Beattie School of the Arts and Sa-Hali Secondary. Along with NorKam student Derek Beharell, Campbell presented the petition to the board at the June 3 meeting in Sun Peaks.
The students asked the board to revise the harassment policy to provide specific provisions to protect and validate sexual minority students and to update the Student Code of conduct to address systemic discrimination.
At the June 17 meeting superintendent Terry Sullivan will ask the board to refer the presentation and petition to the policy committee to be considered as part of the consultation process, which is set to begin in September and will include various partner groups.
To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca, call (250)819-3723 or tweet @JennStahn.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013