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Sep 20, 2026 at 6:05 pm
School Trustee 73 - TEA1
Darryl Schmidt asks:
Parents and the community: How should the Board handle situations where parents, students, teachers, and the wider community strongly disagree about school policies or what should be taught in schools?
Candidate Answers
School boards have an important role in governance and are responsible for overseeing educational programs, setting policy and making sure districts are meeting their responsibilities within the provincial education system. School boards do not determine the provincial curriculum. That is set by the Ministry of Education.
If there is a disagreement about what is being taught, that concern should go through the appropriate school and district processes so everyone has an opportunity to be heard and the concern can be addressed at the right level.
If the concern is about a school or district policy, that is different. Policies are something school boards have a role in, and the Board can review them, ask questions and consider whether changes are needed.
Trustees need to be willing to listen when families, students or community members have concerns and make sure those concerns are being addressed.
Listening to the concerns in full, understanding where there may be a value or end goal difference, and then learning about the evidence-based rationale for the policy often can resolve the disagreement. However, there are times when the Human Rights Code or the School Act come into play. Neither is within the authority of the Board make changes. Context and policy are needed here to understand what can or not be negotiated, so asking more questions, clarifying, and keeping the lens of the Human Rights Code is required.
