A Statement of Facts – Nice, Until It Isn’t

The following is a summary of facts that represent the environment I am currently operating within. This is not designed to encompass every document and piece of legislation in place within Manitoba but to provide context to the current situation.

School Boards and Trustees in Manitoba

• There are no education requirements in place for an individual to serve as a school board trustee in Manitoba (School Boards and Trusteeship in Manitoba, 2022, p. 5)
• School boards MUST:
  • “ensure that each student is provided with a safe and caring environment”
  • “comply with directives of the minister”
  • (School Board Member Handbook, 2024, p. 4)
• School boards have a responsibility to build trust and genuine relationships with their communities:
  • be inclusive in its approach and that its processes be marked by honest and open communications
  • receptiveness to new ideas and differing perspectives
  • genuine commitment to respectful dialogue and collaboration
  • (School Board Member Handbook, 2024 p. 7)
• Strong leadership within a school board includes
  • “Board members must be vigilant in holding the board itself and district staff accountable for meeting identified expectations. On-going monitoring of progress and insistence on corrective action where progress is not evident are essential elements in moving improvement efforts forward.” (School Board Member Handbook, 2024, p. 14)
• In June 2012, the Manitoba Legislature passed amendments to The Public Schools Act requiring school boards to adopt a code of conduct for school trustees.
  • https://www.mbschoolboards.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Code-of-Conduct-template-from-MSBA.docx
• School boards can sanction a trustee if they violate their code of conduct (School Board Member Handbook, 2024, p. 31)
• Mountain View School Division BOARD POLICY #4 – TRUSTEE CODE OF CONDUCT states:
  • Abide by the provisions of all federal, provincial and local legislation, including but not limited to human rights statutes, and The Public Schools Act, as well as school division by-laws and policies;
  • Treat Board colleagues, divisional and school staff, students and community members in a respectful and courteous manner, and refrain from using abusive or denigrating language in any dealings with them
  • Refrain from expressing opinions and/or sharing information through social media that would discredit, undermine or compromise the integrity of the Board.
  • Trustees are always expected to place the public interest first in carrying out their duties. Part of protecting the public interest involves avoiding or effectively resolving relationship bias situations where private or personal interests influence or may appear to influence, the performance of their duties and responsibilities.

Section References

Guide to School Boards and Trusteeship, 2022, Available online at: https://mbschoolboards.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Guide-to-School-Boards-and-Trusteeship.pdf

Mountain View School Division Board Policy #4 – Trustee Code of Conduct, 2023, Available online at: https://mountainviewsd.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/Division/EcKkp4VMtLlLnvgIaa3koMkBFmtdFx3DKjrqCw4a1oxu8g?e=BDo82a

School Board Member Handbook, 2024, Available online at: https://www.mbschoolboards.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Schoolboardmemberhandbook.pdf

Manitoba Education Mandates, Policies, and Supports

• Learner success looks different for every individual but all students have the right to:
  • have a voice
  • feel safe and supported
  • honour and respect Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing with a commitment to and understanding of Truth and Reconciliation
  • Manitoba Framework for Learning, 2023, p. 1
• Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning is also committed to advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action,* specifically Actions 62 and 63 to develop and implement resources on Indigenous Peoples in Canadian history, demonstrating the province’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation
  • Mamahtawisiwin: The Wonder We Are Born With, 2022, p. 7
• Policy documents and curriculum resources within Manitoba use the vocabulary Indigenous, “Because of its offensive and negative connotations, Indian is only used in quotations and in reference to the Indian Act and other historical documents and institutions (e.g., Indian Residential Schools).
  • Mamahtawisiwin: The Wonder We Are Born With, 2022, p. 10

• The education system in Manitoba is committed to fair and equitable participation and benefit by all people.
  • “Each student, educator, school, and school board is responsible to ensure that trans and gender diverse students have a safe learning environment.” (Supporting Transgender and Gender Diverse Students in Manitoba Schools, 2017, p. 8)
  • Students have the right to self-identify through associated name(s), pronoun(s), or community descriptors (commonly displayed as acronyms). The deliberate incorrect use of these descriptors is a form of discrimination (Supporting Transgender and Gender Diverse Students in Manitoba Schools, 2017, p. 28)
• School boards have a responsibility to:
  • ” Take personal responsibility to educate themselves, and model respect for, understanding of, and affirmation of inclusion and diversity in the decision and policy-making environments.”
  • “Promote and celebrate trans and gender diverse communities.”
  • Supporting Transgender and Gender Diverse Students in Manitoba Schools, 2017, p. 21

Section References

Manitoba Framework for Learning, 2023, Available online at: https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/framework/docs/frameworkforlearning_eng.pdf

Mamahtawisin: The Wonder we Are Born With, 2022, Available online at: https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/iid/docs/mam%C3%A0htawisiwin_en.pdf

Supporting Transgender and Gender Diverse Students in Manitoba Schools, 2017, Available online at: https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/docs/support/transgender/full_doc.pdf

---