Pride "Progress" Flags are Back Outside Multiple TVDSB Schools—Without Warning and With No Reason Given

A sample letter and phone script you may wish to use to register an objection

Without communicating with parents or other “communities” first, or informing them of the duration, some TVDSB schools are flying the latest version of the Pride “Progress” flag.

TVDSB is aware that many parents oppose the promotion of any ideology, or compelled speech (including compelled celebration), within schools. Perhaps they realized we would be ready for June 1st (the start of the entire month set aside by TVDSB, for the past three years to celebrate “Pride Month”), and thus hoisted flags early this year. Some might argue that TVDSB is simply “marking” IDAHOBIT Day (International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia: see our sub-stack here for more information). However, given that they have told no one they are doing so, and “IDAHOBIT Day” is not well known, how could they possibly be “marking” it by hoisting a Pride “Progress” flag, two days before the occasion occurs?

We are concerned that parents who object to any ideological flag--or any flag other than the Canadian or Ontario flags-- being flown, will be vilified as insensitive to discrimination against such people. But the Pride “Progress” flag is the only flag other than the Canadian flag flown outside these schools: objecting to any ideology in children’s secular schools is not the same as an objection to the one ideology that TVDSB uniquely flies a flag for.

TVDSB’s Procedure 2033a states in part:

... 5.0 Display of Exterior Flags
5.1 With the approval of the Director of Education or designate, a principal may fly another flag at their school in accordance with this Procedure, for a specified period

...

5.2.3 School principals are responsible for communicating to their school communities the reason for displaying a flag and the duration of the display.

...

Note that “School principals are responsible for communicating to their school communities the reason for displaying a flag and the duration of the display”. At least two of our parents’ Principals did not-- did yours? (A quick tour of your child’s school might reveal even more flags inside than out. One of our parents saw no flags other than the Canadian flag in his/her children’s school in September, when many parents were invited in: This week, this parent happened to enter the school to see no Canadian flag, two Pride “Progress” flags, and one Trans flag.)

If you do not agree with this, note you can call and write to the new Student and Family Support Office today or as soon as possible. And you can share this story. If that office is flooded with calls and emails, Minister Calandra may listen. (You can find the form to complete to communicate with TVDSB’s Family Support Office-- to which we are supposed to send queries now that the TVDSB has been placed under supervision-- here https://forms.tvdsb.ca/Student-and-Family-Support-Office; their phone number is 519-452-2000 x 20222.) Despite the name of this office, note that all local taxpayers fund the TVDSB unless they have opted to fund a different school board, and the form does not require you to state that you are a parent.

Sample Phone Script:

Hello, My name is ___. I am a TVDSB parent/taxpayer/community member. It has come to my attention that multiple schools are flying a Pride “Progress” flag, or were last week, with at least some parents and other community members not being informed of reasons why or how long this will continue. This is despite TVDSB’s Procedure 2033a section 5. I wish to state my objection. (I object to the flying of any flag other than the Canadian and Ontario flags, anytime during the school year.) I trust you will make a record of my objection and communicate it to your superior or to the TVDSB Director of Education.

Sample Email:

To Whom it Concerns:

I am a TVDSB parent/taxpayer/community member. It has come to my attention that multiple schools are flying a Pride “Progress” flag or were last week, with at least some parents and other community members not being informed of reasons why or how long this will continue. This is despite TVDSB’s Procedure 2033a section 5. I wish to register my objection. (optionally: I object to the flying of any flag other than the Canadian and Ontario flags, anytime during the school year.) I trust you will communicate this objection to your superior or to the TVDSB Director of Education.

Sincerely;

...

Sample Exemption Letter

If you want to exempt your child from any ideological teaching or forced celebration of Pride Month, which may conflict with family beliefs-- or is simply something you do not want your child forced to participate in while at a secular school, on free speech grounds -- here is a letter that another parent successfully used, which you are welcome to modify:

Dear [Principal’s Name],

I am a parent of a child in your TVDSB school, [Name of School]. I am writing in reference to the TVDSB email with the subject line “Pride Month in Thames Valley,” dated 30 May 2023.

According to that email, Pride Month commenced three years ago on June 1st (2023). TVDSB, in that email, stated an exemption to these activities can be granted for religious or creed-based accommodations:

“... Students, parents and guardians requesting a religious or creed-based accommodation, in relation to specific curriculum expectations, are invited to speak to the administrator of the school. ...”

Therefore, today I am seeking a religious or creed-based accommodation for my child, [Child’s Name]. The board’s email did not specify what programs or activities were planned for Pride Month, and the board has not (yet) sent out such an email this year. For this reason, I would like my child to be exempt from any and all activities, events, and curricula related to Pride Month, including any based on TVDSB’s 2023 Pride Month curricular training materials (at https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTPQWq8dm3Q_IZzoKGyCZKbW6o6dFfVL-ZGt_w2x23zOvkKNAaegeYztUkfOHI25EKUukyXuD0hEeKH/pub), that may be observed at your school.

Sincerely,

...

(Are you concerned that you may be asked for your faith, if any, if you request a “religious or creed-based accommodation”? Note that one parent reports that the TVDSB recently accepted a belief system other than a religion as a “creed”. And note that Classical Liberalism, which is not a religion, holds free speech to be an inviolable right.) Need more information? See a news article on the above Pride Month Curriculum teacher training materials (obtained only via FOI application, here: https://tnc.news/2024/06/27/ontario-school-board-white-supremacy-racism/).

Feel free to leave a note in the Comments below with your own beliefs on this matter or your experience registering an objection to the new Family Support Office.

--CPAL

We welcome discussion of multiple viewpoints in good faith in this sub-stack. We provide information rather than advice.

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