The B.C. Teachers91裸聊视频� Federation has 91裸聊视频渃ome out swinging91裸聊视频� against incendiary comments made by two Chilliwack school trustees regarding dress codes.
Glen Hansman, BCTF president, immediately spoke up after hearing that Trustees Darrell Furgason and Heather Maahs had spoke so harshly at a board meeting. Furgason said it is a girl91裸聊视频檚 responsibility to dress modestly, and called teaching boys not to react as an untested 91裸聊视频渆xperiment.91裸聊视频� Maahs said that if girls are allowed to wear what they want at school, it would put girls in danger on school grounds and increase predatory behavior from men in the community. She said girls who dress certain ways are 91裸聊视频渓ooking for the wrong kind of attention.91裸聊视频�
RELATED STORY:
91裸聊视频淲e thought it was important we come out swinging,91裸聊视频� Hansman told Black Press on Thursday. 91裸聊视频淭his does contribute to body shaming in general.91裸聊视频�
He said the days of putting the onus on women, young women and even little girls to dress 91裸聊视频渕odestly91裸聊视频� are long gone.
91裸聊视频淚t makes it all about other people91裸聊视频檚 urges or desires,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淭hat your body is an object that is either something to be desired, or be disgusting.91裸聊视频�
While he agreed boys are also subject to body shaming, discrimination against girls91裸聊视频� bodies is more evident within old school dress codes. And he commended the intent of the motion made on Tuesday by Trustee Willow Reichelt to put the decisions back to parents and students. Her motion was to create a district-wide policy that would replace all the individual school dress codes, and that the policy would respect each family91裸聊视频檚 morals and socio-economics.
But that was seen as a left-leaning 91裸聊视频渋deology91裸聊视频� by Maahs, Furgason, and Trustee Barry Neufeld as well.
While Maahs and Furgason both said they don91裸聊视频檛 want the board interfering with dress codes, Neufeld did agree it91裸聊视频檚 an issue that could be best discussed by the Education Policy Advisory Committee (EPAC). However, because of the wording attached, he voted against sending it to EPAC as written.
While the motion was put forward by Reichelt, most of the wording was not hers. It was taken from Victoria School Board91裸聊视频檚 new dress code policy, with a minor addition.
Hansman noted that Victoria was the first school board to create a less restrictive, more inclusive district-wide policy. And since Chilliwack91裸聊视频檚 trustees have been in the news over the last few days, it seems more districts are rushing to create similar policies.
91裸聊视频淚ronically, as with the adoption of SOGI, the absurd pronouncements made by these trustees have had the opposite affect and are spurring other districts to show they aren91裸聊视频檛 like them,91裸聊视频� Hansman said. 91裸聊视频淰ictoria led the way last year and it91裸聊视频檚 long overdue, making sure we91裸聊视频檙e not making assumptions about gender. It91裸聊视频檚 about time.91裸聊视频�
It91裸聊视频檚 actually fairly common for older policies to still be in use at the board level around the province, Hansman said. Especially with the fuss around SOGI recently, boards have had less time to revisit old policies and bring them up to date.
91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 a lot of old ones that haven91裸聊视频檛 been taken off the shelves and dusted off,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淪ociety has kind of moved on and we are expecting from students a kind of formality and attire that doesn91裸聊视频檛 even really exist for staff anymore.91裸聊视频�
Of course, not all trustees were against Reichelt91裸聊视频檚 motion to create a policy with the assistance from EPAC.
Trustee Jared Mumford spoke in favour of the motion, and explained his reasoning to Black Press.
91裸聊视频淚 believe the message being delivered to students via some dress code is that the way a girl dresses somehow determines her value, and that girls are somehow responsible for a boys (or man91裸聊视频檚) behaviour,91裸聊视频� Mumford said. 91裸聊视频淚 would prefer to send a message that normalizes girls91裸聊视频� bodies so that they are looked at the same, regardless of what they are wearing, and where boys are expected to be responsible for their own feelings and behaviour.91裸聊视频�
He believes in the intent of the motion and supports a change in dress codes.
91裸聊视频淪ome argue that current dress codes prepare students for the 91裸聊视频榬eal world91裸聊视频�, but that is demonstrably untrue. In the real world, men see women dressed in spaghetti straps, leggings, and shorts every day and are expected to behave appropriately, yes, even at work,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚 am not against a dress code, but it is clear to me that the current template needs to be amended. If standardization is required to do that, then that91裸聊视频檚 we need to look at as a board.91裸聊视频�
He said the motion wasn91裸聊视频檛 to create a policy at the table, but to suggest a policy with EPAC91裸聊视频檚 help.
91裸聊视频淰ia EPAC, we will be able to get the viewpoint from all of our major stakeholders, including parents, teachers and administrators. It91裸聊视频檚 the right way to proceed.91裸聊视频�
As for some of the other comments made on Tuesday by the trustees, Hansman did not hold back his thoughts. At one point, Maahs named a local school and said there is already a problem there with 91裸聊视频減imps.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚f she has firsthand information about criminal activity, she should be reporting that to the police,91裸聊视频� Hansman said, noting that all teachers and staff at every school in B.C. has a duty to report abuse of any kind.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 going to take her at her word, and if I don91裸聊视频檛, the alternative is that she91裸聊视频檚 making stuff up,91裸聊视频� he said.
As for Furgason, who noted he felt 91裸聊视频渦ncomfortable91裸聊视频� across from female students who were not modestly dressed in his opinion, Hansman said it was 91裸聊视频渃reepy91裸聊视频� thing to say.
And yes, the topic will be coming up over the weekend, as the BCTF holds it Annual General Meeting and elections from Saturday to Tuesday. Hansman has now served three years as president, and will be kicking off the weekend with welcoming remarks. The event will close on Tuesday with the election of new executives, which go into effect in July.
91裸聊视频淚 will be acknowledging all the work that still has to be done,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淎t the end of the day, violence against women and girls has not gone away in society and it91裸聊视频檚 long past the point where it91裸聊视频檚 the responsibility of girls and young women to get the perpetrators and stop doing this.91裸聊视频�
jpeters@theprogress.com
Like us on and follow us on .
