Louis Riel School Division suspends trustee for 1st time

For the first time in its history, the Louis Riel School Division suspended a trustee last month, but division officials won't say why.

The school board suspended trustee Robert Page on Dec. 19 for one month.

"It is rather exceptional and it is the first time a trustee's been suspended in our history in LRSD[Louis Riel School Division]," said Christian Michalik, acting superintendent of the division.

Michaliksaid Page had contravened the code of conduct and admitted to the contravention.

But he said the matter was discussed in camera anddidn't provide more detail.

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Page told CBC News he isn't allowed to speak about his suspension, but he called the situation "a tempest in a teapot" and blamed much of it on misunderstandings.

His suspension is over now and he'll be at the next regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 23, Michalik said. The division hasn't heard from any parents about the issue and parents shouldn't be concerned, he said.

"Robert was absent from the last regular scheduled board meeting but he'll be back this coming meeting," he said. "So its impact, although we regretted the trustee's absence, its impact was negligible in terms of the board's work and has really not impacted the school division administration's work."

2nd Manitoba trustee to be suspended

Page's suspension is a first for the Louis Riel School Division but not for Manitoba.

In 2015, controversial Winnipeg School Division trustee MikeBabinskywas banned from board meetings after an investigation found he had breachedthe division's harassment prevention policy.

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A spokesperson for Education Minister Ian Wishart said the ministerisn't involved in any board decision to censure or suspend a trustee.

"If a trustee chooses to grieve a suspension decision, an adjudication process would be established. If this occurs, the minister would receive a copy of the adjudication decision as information onlyand would not interfere in the process," the spokespersonwrote in an email.

"Depending on the nature of the matter which prompted the suspension decision, the division may have received legal advice regarding the disclosure of information."