At the regular meeting of the Palliser Board of Trustees on February 9, 2016, the board received the draft policy, “Safe and Caring Learning Environments."
The draft expands on current legislation that is consistent with the Alberta School Act (Section 45.1 and 16.1). The document is designed to protect students and staff against discrimination based on race, religion, gender and physical or mental disability, among others. Under the School Act, boards have a responsibility to ensure that students and staff are provided with welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environments that respect diversity and foster a sense of belonging. This draft policy ensures compliance with Bill 10, “An Act to Amend the Alberta Bill of Rights to Protect our Children” and the guidelines released by Alberta Education.
The board has made a commitment to solicit input from the public on this draft policy. While we appreciate and recognize that there are many differing opinions on Bill 10 and the published guidelines (Guidelines for Best Practices: Creating Learning Environments that Respect Diverse Sexual Orientations, Gender Identities and Gender Expressions), the board is only seeking input on this draft policy.
To view the draft policy CLICK HERE.
Members of the public are invited to email feedback@pallisersd.ab.ca with your comments by March 9, 2016 as we are committed to ratify this policy by March 31, 2016. Feedback can also be submitted by regular mail to the Board of Trustees at Palliser Regional Schools, #101 3305 18 Ave. N., Lethbridge, T1H 5S1.