Regina school trustee says protesters ramping up harassment, intimidation over division's inclusion efforts - Action News
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Saskatchewan

Regina school trustee says protesters ramping up harassment, intimidation over division's inclusion efforts

Tensions ran high at a Regina Public Schools board meeting on Tuesday night, as several protesters gathered outside over concerns about what they described as sex being taught in the classrooms.

June school board meeting sees clash between crowd of protesters and supporters of division

A man in shades stands with a cellphone, with a sign behind him reading,
Protesters and supporters of the Regina Public School division clashed outside of the division's June 13 meeting. Protesters were taking aim at what they describe as the sexualization of classrooms. (CBC News)

Tensions ran high at a Regina Public Schools board meeting on Tuesday night, as several protesters gathered outside over concerns about what they described as sex being taught in the classrooms.

School board trustee Ted Jaleta said he and other trustees have been subject to a "relentless" campaign from a small but vocal group of people who have been ramping up efforts to take aim at what's being taught at schools.

"These people are saying we're apparently changing their children, teaching about gender identity. That's what we hear," Jaleta said, noting he and other trustees have been getting phone calls and emails from these self-described concerned citizens over what he called "fabricated" accounts of what's happening in classrooms.

"A while ago, I was walking by the mall and someone yelled me, 'You're a child molester, stop sexualizing our children.' That's uncalled for," he said. "This is a free country. But harassing and intimidating trustees is not the way to go."

Police officers stand by a cruiser outside.
Police were on site at the meeting at the request of the school division, after a disruptive protester had to be removed from a May meeting. (Janani Whitfield/CBC)

Jaleta said these citizens first began attending school board meetings in Apriland that their presence has been growing, prompting the division to call in security and police for its June meeting.

A letter reads
Flyers were left in parking lots in Regina, encouraging people to come out to the June 13 Regina Public School board meeting to protest. (Submitted to CBC)

Protesters had been organizing to come to that June 13meeting, handing out flyers at parks and parking lots, encouraging people to "stand for the children against gender ideology."

The meeting room was at capacity and dozens others waited outside including employees and supporters of Regina Public Schools, who came to show their support for the division.

A school board office shows people sitting in chairs, with flags at the front of the room.
The official school board meeting was at capacity, with dozens of other people waiting outside. (CBC News)

None of the protesters agreed to be interviewed, but they were vocal about their concerns, making claimsabout everything from alleged pornography in textbooks, litter boxes in classrooms, teachings about gender identity and supposed use of hormone blockers.

"Just leave sex out of the schools," one told the crowd of Regina Public Schools' employees gathered to support the division.

Several stayed to the end of the meeting, videotaping and following Regina Public Schools' staff, despite repeated requests for these protesters to desist.

Listen to The Morning Edition's interview on theclash at the Regina Public Schools' board meeting:

'It's just creating unsafe spaces': school division employee

Brendan Dickie, who works with Regina Public Schools, stood outside the school board office as the meeting went on, interacting with the protesters and defending lessons in classrooms.

"A lot of the rhetoric they were using in their conversation is the same sort of hateful vitriolic things that the queer community hears often, talking about how there's a hidden agenda, and we're sexualizing the kids."

A woman holds up a sign reading
A supporter of Regina Public Schools holds up her sign outside of the school board meeting. (CBC News)

Dickie described these efforts as a "strain" on queer educators and allies, as well as students in the classroom.

"It's just creating unsafe spaces for the kids."

Jaleta noted that May's school board meeting saw a protester disrupt the agenda and harass the board chair, necessitating tighter security at the June meeting.

However, he said the division would continue to affirm pride, diversity and inclusion in its classrooms.

"This is2023 and we need inclusion, diversity. The face of Saskatchewan is changing," he said, adding that protesters should realize that trustees have no control or mandate over the curriculum.

"They need to stop."