Chilliwack school trustee election heats up
Half the candidates oppose anti-bullying material emphasizing gender identity, sexual orientation
The man who once described himself as the “lonely voice protecting impressionable children” in the Chilliwack school district may not be alone on the school board after the October election.
Four of the eight declared candidates for school trustee in Chilliwack have identified themselves as being against the Ministry of Education’s sexual orientation and gender identity anti-bullying resources, commonly called SOGI.
The resource materials are designed to guide teachers in helping LGBTQ students and in dealing with bullying that targets a child’s gender identity.
Last year, trustee Barry Neufeld criticized SOGI on social media, saying that allowing young children to “choose” their gender amounted to “child abuse.” In response, B.C.’s education minister and the school board called on Neufeld to resign, which he refused to do, vowing to continue to “speak up when the best interests of children may be compromised.” He later apologized for the child abuse comment.
Neufeld said Friday he plans to run again, although he has not yet filed the paperwork. He expects incumbent Heather Maahs will also run, counting her among his allies.
“There are five candidates that are hoping for a completely inclusive program,” he said.
Asked how opposing SOGI was inclusive, he said people who did not agree with the concept of gender-fluidity were being “shut out” of the B.C. school system.
“We don’t want families with traditional values to be alienated,” he said, adding “the radicals are pushing their agenda.”
Neufeld was not clear about how the group planned to oppose SOGI if elected, but said teachers should be allowed to deal with bullying without specifically identifying LGBTQ kids as a group.
He said the five candidates decided not to run as a slate. That’s because, while they agree on SOGI, they have varying views on other issues.
But parent Elizabeth Beacom said she could find little beyond their anti-SOGI arguments on some of the candidates’ Facebook pages. For example, retired school teacher Kaethe Jones identified it as the number 1 item in her platform.
“The problem is that they’re focused on this single issue, while we have so many other issues to deal with,” said Beacom.
Beacom, an LGBTQ activist, grew up in the Surrey school district and remembers the seven-year legal battle between the school board and parents over books that showed children with two moms and two dads.
Challenging SOGI could cost the district both time and money, not to mention the message it sends to LGBTQ students, she said.
“I think it’s really important for people to be informed and to get out and vote.”
Diane Braun, who chairs the district’s parent advisory committee, said she wished the election was not being framed as a fight between pro- and anti-SOGI trustees.
She said there are problems with overcrowded schools and a complicated reconfiguration of the grades among elementary, middle and high schools.
“The school board hasn’t had the time to deal with these issues because they’ve been dealing with SOGI,” she said. “They’ve been dealing with something that is ultimately not in the school district’s hands.”
Nominations for school trustees end Sept. 14.