The divisiveness on the Chilliwack school board has reached a whole new level, with two sitting trustees encouraging police action against a third.
At the centre of the issue is a battle over library reading material and its contents 害羞草研究所� an debate amongst trustees that first began in June when sitting trustee Heather Maahs took issue with 害羞草研究所楢ll Boys aren害羞草研究所檛 Blue害羞草研究所� being available at a local school library.
害羞草研究所淚t desensitizes kids and it害羞草研究所檚 all in the name of LGBTQ because it害羞草研究所檚 boy on boy, and I害羞草研究所檓 talking young boys being depicted in stories with things I害羞草研究所檝e never even heard of,害羞草研究所� she said on an internet talk show at the time. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 bad.害羞草研究所�
Most recently, in a Facebook post on Aug. 17, Willow Reichelt argued against banning books with LGBTQ2S+ and anti-racist content, suggesting that 害羞草研究所渘o one advocating book banning in 2022 has any business being involved in public education.害羞草研究所�
On Aug. 19 Reichelt returned to Facebook, saying she had received two emails threatening to report her to the RCMP. A post being shared by the Facebook group EXPOSING SOGI 123 threatened the same.
害羞草研究所淎re you a parent with children in Chilliwack schools? Are you tired of the pornographic material/books being shown to minors, children under 16? Do you want to DO SOMETHING about it? I am looking for parents in Chilliwack who are willing to file police reports against the trustee pushing these books on our children, Willow Reichelt and anyone else who approved of their use in schools. I am hoping to be ready to file our reports to the sex crimes unit of the Chilliwack RCMP.害羞草研究所�
Reichelt grabbed screenshots from trustees Darrell Furgason and Barry Neufeld, who appear to encourage the filing of police reports.
害羞草研究所淚f you want to get traction on this post, you should post it publicly!害羞草研究所� Neufeld wrote. 害羞草研究所淏e prepared for some nasty pushback, but ALL parents need to know!害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚 am not not surprised about Willow Reichelt害羞草研究所檚 response to your concerns,害羞草研究所� wrote Furgason. 害羞草研究所淪he and the other 3 害羞草研究所榳oke害羞草研究所� Trustees all stand in favour of sexual 害羞草研究所榚ducation害羞草研究所� being taught to young students in our District. I totally agree with your concerns about sexualizing young children, and suggest that you do proceed with your actions with the RCMP.害羞草研究所�
In her Facebook response, Reichelt said enough is enough.
害羞草研究所淪o now two sitting trustees in the span of 24 hours have tried to get me arrested for defending freedom of thought,害羞草研究所� Reichelt responded. 害羞草研究所淎 reminder of my supposed crime: I told people to read books and think for themselves.害羞草研究所�
Reichelt has been a staunch defender of 害羞草研究所楢ll Boys aren害羞草研究所檛 Blue,害羞草研究所� saying it has been given a starred review by Kirkus (Book Review Service) and glowing reviews by School Library Journal, Booklist and the New York Times.
害羞草研究所淒iverse representation leads to empathy, compassion, understanding and a sense of belonging,害羞草研究所� she said in June, responding to Maahs害羞草研究所� comments. 害羞草研究所淪exuality is part of human experience, and some books written for a teen audience contain sexual content. Young-adult fiction presents this content in an age-appropriate manner and tends to focus on the social-emotional aspects.害羞草研究所�
The Progress reached out to Neufeld and Furgason for comment, but did not receive a response before this story was published.
The Chilliwack school board election is Oct. 15.
The field of declared candidates includes Reichelt, Maahs, Furgason, Neufeld, David Swankey, Carin Bondar, Teri Westerby, Margaret Reid and Brian Vangarderen.
eric.welsh@theprogress.com
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