June, 2003
CFAC Hamilton Branch has corresponded with ETFO with respect to this issue as it relates to this List, that is, the issue of safety for students: physical safety, emotional safety and spiritual safety. We have not, to date, received a response.

The Hamilton Branch has also corresponded with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board since the List was submitted to the Board Trustees on August 20, 2002, raising several concerns regarding these materials. From our research, it appears that these materials, while minimizing or often ignoring the physically high-risk and emotionally destructive lifestyles, continually undermine and negate all attitudes, research, and facts that would speak to this issue. To those who oppose the normalization and promotion of these lifestyles, they are accused of fear, hatred and/or discrimination (homophobia and heterosexism). The resources imply that many students and their families are homosexual, citing very high, yet unsubstantiated percentages of the population, and add to that number the obscure notion that many students know someone that is homosexual. Sexual orientations such as homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, transgendered, tri-spirited, and questioning are portrayed as normal and healthy sexual expressions.

The ETFO claims there is an urgent need to both indoctrinate children against homophobia and heterosexism and to educate them in all various possible sexual preferences. (Parents and teachers are promoters of homophobia, and society a promoter of heterosexism.) Their purpose is that educators may bring about a 'safe' environment whereby 'LGBT' children can be safe from bullying, may develop self-esteem, good health, a sense of belonging and pride, positive homosexual role models who have gone before them, and support for their different sexual feelings and thoughts.

The School Board administration has done little with this list of resource materials; however, this issue will be addressed some time in the future by their Equity Committee. They have maintained that they have a responsibility to ensure that all students and their parents feel welcomed and accepted within our school system.

Their Policy concerning Selection of Learning Resources (Policy 3.03) states that the Board will provide a " wide range of learning resources at various levels of complexity, reflecting diversity of appeal, portraying gender and cultural inclusiveness, and representing multiple perspectives, to meet the needs of students, teachers and the community." There is criteria that is to be considered, chief of which is alignment with curriculum expectations, but also includes such things as inclusion of and sensitivity to gender and peoples of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and experiences. There is also a special section devoted to " sensitive material ". The Policy has a process that allows parents to object to, or challenge, materials at the school level and a process for resolution. However, this remedy can only come after the material has been taught to the students.

The Board reminded the Council also that it has a legal responsibility as a public institution to comply with Human Rights legislation. Their stance is to stand by the decision of the British Columbia Supreme Court in its recent decision regarding 'same sex' school books, initiated by James Chamberlain, kindergarten-grade one teacher. (The BC Public School Board has since rejected the subject books a second time based on criteria of literary quality.) However, to the best of our knowledge, the resources on this ETFO list have not been considered, nor approved, to date.

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