Catholic school board shuts down debate; Pride flag will fly in Ontario

Debate on flying the Pride flag at Catholic schools in Durham Region was shut down before it started, with the Durham Catholic School Board denying anti-LGBT delegates the chance to speak on the issue at Monday’s board meeting.

Jessica Street from the DDSB Concerned Parents group called the decision not to hear her delegation “another example of school boards shutting out parents and refusing to engage in real dialogue” after the board voted against a motion from trustee Richard Damianopoulos to allow a delegation from Action4Canada’s Terry Rekar at a future meeting.

Damianopoulos, who represents the northern townships of Scugog, Uxbridge and Brock, said he was “concerned” about the call to not allow the delegation to speak on the issues. “No trustee is obligated to agree with any delegation. We must, however, agree to hear them out.”

Street said students “should not be forced to participate in “ideological celebrations they or their families do not agree with,” saying the board’s decision is the result of “activist agendas” being allowed to take hold.

“This pattern of silencing parents and shutting down opposition is unacceptable. If school boards are supposed to represent the community, why are they actively working to block discussion on important topics?”

Street’s stance was not supported on social media, where three of the first four responses to her Facebook post were negative.

• “Go away. Your hate isn’t wanted here.” – Shannon
• “This brand of hate is what kills kids.” – Scott
• “It was shut down because it’s not a legit concern and also the fact you won’t be satisfied with any response that doesn’t comply with your hateful agenda.” – Rihanna

The Pride flag has been a contentious issue among Catholic parents for most of the current term of office for the trustees and the debate has reached the board floor numerous times, with board chair Monique Forster noting the request for further debate will be sent to staff for review.

The Durham Catholic School Board senior administrative team on Pink Shirt Day