Vancouver School Board set to move forward with strategy for tackling racism

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A hateful video posted by a student more than a year ago prompted a reckoning with racism for the Vancouver School Board, now it is moving forward with a plan for preventing and responding to discrimination in schools.

At Monday’s meeting, the board passed two motions related to tackling racism and discrimination.

First, the board voted unanimously to start work on an overarching strategy for schools, with short-term and long-term goals.

Board Chair Janet Fraser says the unanimous vote shows how seriously the board is taking the issues that have arisen in the last year.

“I think that shows how important this work is to trustees, to provide safe, inclusive, and welcoming schools for all of our students.”

Part of developing the strategy will involve looking at what is already in place, and identifying where improvement is needed.

“We have policies and procedures in place and we’re always looking to enhance how we can support our students. So this will be a good, deep look at the way we operate and how we can improve,” Fraser says. “The intent is to address some of the systemic issues–and those are the things that would take longer-term actions.”

The first report back on this strategy is scheduled for June of 2020.

Next, the board voted in favour of a motion to develop a better way to respond to incidents of discrimination when they occur.

The motion, brought by Trustee Jennifer Reddy, asked for an expert to be hired to help the board develop a standardized, structured way to address these incidents.

The motion stressed the need to define clear expectations for staff and to ensure clearer communication with everyone affected in the immediate aftermath of an incident.

The expert is also being asked to advise on how to hold perpetrators accountable, specifically considering how restorative justice might be used in these cases.

Reddy developed the motion in collaboration with 15 parents, legal and policy experts, and community members in June, 2019.

Last month, a human rights complaint was filed against the VSB for its handling of the situation at Lord Byng.

With files from Jonathan Szekeres and Monika Gul

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