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Over some expressed opposition, local public school board trustees voted this week to eliminate the speakers list at their meetings.
The decision to remove the speakers list, which allows the public to address the Greater Essex County District School Board on issues outside its agenda, follows concerns by trustees over disruptive behaviour during recent meetings.
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“We need to remember that this is a business meeting — a business meeting that is held in public, it’s not a public meeting with an open mic,” said trustee Cathy Cooke, who put forward the motion Tuesday night to eliminate the list for future board meetings.
“I think it’s time that we move forward with this,” she said. “It’s time we get back to focusing on what we are here to do, and that is student success.”
Cooke presented a notice of the motion on the subject at a previous board meeting that saw trustees leave the room, with one speaker being escorted out by a police officer.
Tuesday night’s vote passed without debate. Only one trustee was opposed.
There are defined rules of conduct for school board meetings in which members of the public may address the board on topics they identify in advance.
Members of the public may appear as a delegation, and must register to do so at least the day before, but they may only address items listed on that meeting’s agenda.
A speakers’ list — not required under the Education Act — allows members of the public to speak to other items as long as the speakers submit a request and identify the topic ahead of the meeting.
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In a video of Tuesday’s meeting on the board’s website, Jeremy Palko, of the Windsor chapter of Action4Canada, used the speakers’ list to confront trustees on the issue before the vote.
“I challenge this board to give examples of not being safe in this board room due to a speaker on the speakers’ list,” Palko said.
“Speakers consistently stay behind the podium wherever it is placed. Challenging policies and positions may risk negative feeling and emotions but this doesn’t justify adding security or police.”
Palko criticized what he called the board’s “woke agenda” and argued that it takes away from essential subjects like reading, writing, and math.
“What you may consider disruption is our persistence on behalf of the kids and parents and our faith demands a response in defence of the vulnerable,” he said, adding that faith-based teaching should be left to independent schools and churches.
“Keep the speakers’ list and partner with the constituents you work for to get out of the gutter, otherwise, parents, ‘Take your kids and run for (your) lives from the self-destructing public school board and system.’”
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Trustee Connie Buckler challenged Palko about his status as a public school board supporter and whether his children were enrolled in the district’s schools.
“No, not currently,” Palko said.
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Another speaker at Tuesday’s meeting, Sabrina Kelly, praised the board’s support of 2SLGBTQ+ policies in schools.
“As a former student of the GECDSB, I have seen firsthand exactly how essential these policies are,” Kelly said. “I am deeply grateful that the school board’s policies of inclusion and acceptance were in place to protect my many 2SLGBTQ+ friends and family members.
“Thanks to these protections, those I love saw themselves represented in their classrooms and libraries. They were able to use facilities that best aligned with them, protect themselves from queer-phobic family members, and reveal their identities on their own terms.
“These measures kept those I love safe and fostered their well-being.”
The public can still address the board by applying a day or more in advance to be a delegation to speak on specific items on a meeting’s agenda.
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