School district set to embrace reconciliation

Central Okanagan trustees receive agreement aimed at making schools more inclusive for Indigenous pupils

Indigenous flags should be flown at all properties owned by Central Okanagan Public Schools, trustees heard Wednesday.

Efforts should be made to inform non-Indigenous students about the

“privilege” they enjoy, and all “assemblies, meetings and gatherings” should include reference to Indigenous territory.

These are some of the principles included in a new “Equity in Action” agreement presented by board officials to trustees for their approval.

“It’s a very important and wellthought-out document that should greatly improve the educational experience for Indigenous students,” said board chair Moyra Baxter.

The agreement was reached between district officials and members of the Westbank First Nation,

Okanagan Indian Band, Okanagan Nation Alliance and other local Indigenous groups.

The agreement flows from recommendations contained in the 2105 Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a federal initiative aimed at healing wounds caused by the placement of Indigenous children in residential schools.

The document presented to trustees describes Central Okanagan Public Schools as a “colonized K-12 educational institution,” and says local educators must “reimagine teaching and learning with a shared responsibility for inspiring social justice through the understanding of truths and commitment to reconciliation.”

Other specific commitments included in the document include:

— embedding First People’s principles of learning in kindergarten through Grade 12

— ensuring Indigenous world views are incorporated into classrooms

— foster the instruction of Nsyilxcen, a local Indigenous language, in school

— ensuring each Indigenous student in local schools can “identify two caring adults within the school comity over and above the Indigenous Advocate.”