Now a post about Canadian schools.
The Ontario Human Rights Code is being used to silence concerned educators who speak up about inappropriate books in their Elementary school library. A teacher, Carolyn Burjoski, was removed from a virtual board meeting after her comments were deemed transphobic by the chair.
News Report About The School Board Meeting
During the meeting, Burjoski said, “Some of the books filling our libraries make it seem simple, or even cool to take puberty blockers or opposite-sex hormones.”
The teacher was interrupted by school board chair, Scott Piatkowski.
“I’m just getting a little concerned that your content may be problematic. I’m not sure exactly where you’re headed, but I would caution you to make sure that you’re not saying anything that would violate the human rights code.”
Bringing up a book titled The Other Boy by MG Hennessey, Burjoski said it chronicles the medical transition of a person “born female and now identifies as a boy.”
According to information in the teacher’s presentation, there are 106 copies of this book in K-6 WRDSB libraries.
She told the school board that after a character named Shane is told by a doctor that taking puberty blockers and starting testosterone will make him infertile in the future, the character responds with “it’s cool.”
Burjoski said that is “a very typical adolescent response.”
“This book is misleading because it does not take into account how Shane might feel later in life about being infertile. This book makes very serious medical interventions seem like an easy cure for emotional and social distress,” the teacher said.
She was stopped again by Piatkowski, who said her comments may violate the province’s protections for gender expression and gender identity.
“I believe the delegation is talking about age appropriateness,” said Trustee Cindy Watson, who was in favour of allowing Burjoski to continue speaking.
[Source: Kitchener City News Jan 17, 2022]
Eventually her 10 minute presentation was cut short by the chair.
It gets worse.
From her website “Cancelled Teacher” Carolyn Burjoski explains what happened after the school board meeting.
The day after the meeting, I was ordered to stay home from school and barred from speaking to my colleagues and students. Because of a Covid lockdown, I hadn’t seen my students since December 2021, and I would never see them again.
Shortly after the meeting, the Board filed a formal complaint against me and hired an outside Firm to conduct a disciplinary investigation, threatening various punishments. I could not believe what was happening to me.
That week, I became the center of a national media frenzy fuelled by statements made by the Board Chair on radio, TV and social media. He attributed to me remarks that I did not make, characterized them as hateful, and accused me of violating the Human Rights Code. The Board quickly removed the meeting video from its website so people could not hear for themselves what I actually said. The Board Chair’s harmful statements about me spread like wildfire over the internet, and I received a tidal wave of online abuse.
Burjoski is taking legal action for defamation and violation of her free speech rights.
You can read more about her story here.
But apparently drag queens reading stories to kids about
gender fluidity will continue uninhibited.
Is this the world we want to live in?
See earlier post about UK schools.
And you wonder why some of our states are clamping down on this?
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Love Refuses to Affirm Confusion