School reinstates yearbook items

Forum says ‘pregnant’ duchess, ‘gay’ premier worthy of inclusion

A Whitby elementary school yearbook will mention the “pregnant” Duchess of Cambridge and the country’s first openly “gay” premier after all. Two parents told the Star on Monday the school’s administrators had told them to remove four news items, including two about Premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal leadership victory and Kate Middleton’s pregnancy, from Meadowcrest Public School’s yearbook. On Friday morning, a group of Grade 8 students, teachers, parents and the school’s administration met at the school. After a studentled discussion, it was decided to include all 11 news items in the school’s yearbook. “It was really amazing to see how (the students) all thought through their opinions,” said Lorisa Johnson-Kalk. She and fellow parent Sarah Eddenden say the school’s principal and vice-principal took issue with including the words “pregnant” and “gay” in the yearbook, fearing children would be prompted to ask their parents what the words meant.

After a student-led discussion, it was decided to include all 11 news items

“We did question including some statements with respect to their relevance to our students,” reads a statement issued Friday by the school. “While our intent was to reflect the elementary school student experience, it seems our communication was not clear and we sincerely regret if we have offended anyone.” The item mentioning the Duchess of Cambridge was edited to include she is pregnant “with the future king or queen” and the entry on U.S. President Barack Obama’s re-election now states he is “the first black president.”