Michelle McHale and her partner Karen Phillips filed a human rights complaint Friday, alleging the Hanover School Division and its Board of Trustees are excluding sexual orientation and gender identity from the classroom.
“We didn’t start out wanting to file a human rights complaint,” McHale said. “We started out wanting to engage in conversation that would educate the trustees and change things in the schools for kids so that they would have a more inclusive environment.”
McHale has children who attend school in the Hanover Division, and said one was bullied because they have two moms.
She learned of the guidelines preventing teachers from talking about sexual orientation, and other sensitive topics in class, while addressing the bullying with the school.
McHale said she and her partner decided to make the formal complaint after several attempts to have the school division change the policies.
“They made it clear early on that they thought they were on ‘solid ground,’ I believe that’s what was said, and they felt that their policies were good,” she added. “We felt we had to pursue other options in order to make sure that kids have safe spaces in school that were safe and inclusive.”
In the formal human rights complaint it stated the topics the school division considers ‘sensitive content’ are sexual orientation, abortion and masturbation.
“[Teachers] are also being required by the trustees to report those questions to parents and the idea that a student could potentially be outed to a disapproving family creates some real concerns for us around the safety of students in the Hanover School Division,” said Allison Fenske, McHale’s lawyer.
McHale explained she is concerned that LGBTQ families are not being included when the topic of ‘families’ is brought up in class.
“It sends the message that there is something so wrong either with them or their family that they can’t speak about it in a classroom setting which is not ok,” she said.
The Hanover released this statement Monday morning from Board Chair Ron Falk:
“Hanover School Division has not yet received an official notice of the Human Rights Complaint filed on behalf of Ms. McHale. Until we have had opportunity to review contents of the complaint, no further statement will be issued.”
McHale said she hopes the complaint leads to more education and safer spaces for kids.
“We want the trustees and all of the Hanover School Division staff to engage in mandatory human rights and anti-discrimination training or education now and ongoing,” she added.
