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