The B.C. Teachers香蕉视频直播� Federation has 香蕉视频直播渃ome out swinging香蕉视频直播� 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 girl香蕉视频直播檚 responsibility to dress modestly, and called teaching boys not to react as an untested 香蕉视频直播渆xperiment.香蕉视频直播� 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 香蕉视频直播渓ooking for the wrong kind of attention.香蕉视频直播�
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香蕉视频直播淲e thought it was important we come out swinging,香蕉视频直播� Hansman told Black Press on Thursday. 香蕉视频直播淭his does contribute to body shaming in general.香蕉视频直播�
He said the days of putting the onus on women, young women and even little girls to dress 香蕉视频直播渕odestly香蕉视频直播� are long gone.
香蕉视频直播淚t makes it all about other people香蕉视频直播檚 urges or desires,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淭hat your body is an object that is either something to be desired, or be disgusting.香蕉视频直播�
While he agreed boys are also subject to body shaming, discrimination against girls香蕉视频直播� 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 family香蕉视频直播檚 morals and socio-economics.
But that was seen as a left-leaning 香蕉视频直播渋deology香蕉视频直播� by Maahs, Furgason, and Trustee Barry Neufeld as well.
While Maahs and Furgason both said they don香蕉视频直播檛 want the board interfering with dress codes, Neufeld did agree it香蕉视频直播檚 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 Board香蕉视频直播檚 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 Chilliwack香蕉视频直播檚 trustees have been in the news over the last few days, it seems more districts are rushing to create similar policies.
香蕉视频直播淚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 aren香蕉视频直播檛 like them,香蕉视频直播� Hansman said. 香蕉视频直播淰ictoria led the way last year and it香蕉视频直播檚 long overdue, making sure we香蕉视频直播檙e not making assumptions about gender. It香蕉视频直播檚 about time.香蕉视频直播�
It香蕉视频直播檚 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.
香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 a lot of old ones that haven香蕉视频直播檛 been taken off the shelves and dusted off,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淪ociety has kind of moved on and we are expecting from students a kind of formality and attire that doesn香蕉视频直播檛 even really exist for staff anymore.香蕉视频直播�
Of course, not all trustees were against Reichelt香蕉视频直播檚 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.
香蕉视频直播淚 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 man香蕉视频直播檚) behaviour,香蕉视频直播� Mumford said. 香蕉视频直播淚 would prefer to send a message that normalizes girls香蕉视频直播� 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.香蕉视频直播�
He believes in the intent of the motion and supports a change in dress codes.
香蕉视频直播淪ome argue that current dress codes prepare students for the 香蕉视频直播榬eal world香蕉视频直播�, 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,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淚 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 that香蕉视频直播檚 we need to look at as a board.香蕉视频直播�
He said the motion wasn香蕉视频直播檛 to create a policy at the table, but to suggest a policy with EPAC香蕉视频直播檚 help.
香蕉视频直播淰ia EPAC, we will be able to get the viewpoint from all of our major stakeholders, including parents, teachers and administrators. It香蕉视频直播檚 the right way to proceed.香蕉视频直播�
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 香蕉视频直播減imps.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淚f she has firsthand information about criminal activity, she should be reporting that to the police,香蕉视频直播� Hansman said, noting that all teachers and staff at every school in B.C. has a duty to report abuse of any kind.
香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 going to take her at her word, and if I don香蕉视频直播檛, the alternative is that she香蕉视频直播檚 making stuff up,香蕉视频直播� he said.
As for Furgason, who noted he felt 香蕉视频直播渦ncomfortable香蕉视频直播� across from female students who were not modestly dressed in his opinion, Hansman said it was 香蕉视频直播渃reepy香蕉视频直播� 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.
香蕉视频直播淚 will be acknowledging all the work that still has to be done,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淎t the end of the day, violence against women and girls has not gone away in society and it香蕉视频直播檚 long past the point where it香蕉视频直播檚 the responsibility of girls and young women to get the perpetrators and stop doing this.香蕉视频直播�
jpeters@theprogress.com
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