The Week: Give us full transparency when paid ‘volunteers’ work with CV students

The Week: Give us full transparency when paid ‘volunteers’ work with CV students

by | Dec 13, 2022

The Week: Give us full transparency when paid ‘volunteers’ work with CV students

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No doubt Comox Valley school administrators are bustling during this last week of classes before the Christmas-New Years’ holiday break to determine if Youth For Christ volunteers have been praying with students in district schools and how widespread it might have become.

Since we broke the story last week that a Youth For Christ (YFC) volunteer has been concluding his open gym time for Cumberland Grade 8 and 9 students with a prayer session, according to parents of children in that school, questions have arisen about how long this might have been going on and why so many school district administrators looked the other way?

Youth For Christ paid employees have “worked” as volunteers in Comox Valley schools since the 1990s, according to SD71 Board of Education Chair Michele Waite. And former Board Chair Sheila McDonnell also told us that she had been aware of the program occurring with the principal’s agreement and “on the basis of them (YFC) working in a team with groups of children, not one-on-one, no reference to religions, no prayers, etc.”

It seems likely now, given that parents have blown the whistle on YFC leading prayers in Cumberland, that other YFC employees could have done the same in other schools over the past nearly 30 years. It’s also possible this one YFC worker was a renegade. And maybe the district review will conclude that no prayer sessions ever took place and parents raised a stink based on bad intel, though that seems unlikely.

But the problem with using paid volunteers – surely an oxymoron – at all is that they have an employer to whom they are more indebted than to the schools where they volunteer. In this case, that means their underlying mission is the ministry of seeing “these students come to know and love Christ, to experience the resurrection life that He has for His children.” To quote one YFC worker.

A faith-based group could certainly play an important role in supporting our schools, the educators and the students. But the parameters of any faith-based volunteer have to be clear and closely monitored because religious teaching of any kind is prohibited by law in public schools, and the opportunity for proselytizing is tempting.

As former SD71 School trustee Cliff Boldt wrote in a comment to last week’s story, school principals must be held to account for what occurs on their watch. Who else is going to monitor these activities in each school? Well, of course, parents should and, in Cumberland, they did.

Perhaps at the top of the list of mistakes in this matter has been the lack of transparency by school administrators and the Youth For Christ organization.

The YFC workers are not volunteers. They are paid employees of a Christian ministry and their job is to interact with young people. They should be clearly identified as such so students and parents can decide whether it’s appropriate to interact with them.

There should be written agreements for any faith-based group that clearly prohibits religious stories, discussions or practices in conversations or activities inside the schools without written permission from the parents, who have been fully notified.

BC Law requires all schools and provincial schools to be “conducted on strictly secular and non-sectarian principles.” And that “the highest morality must be inculcated, but no religious dogma or creed is to be taught in a school or provincial school.”

Somehow now, Comox Valley school administrators must assure parents that their children will not be exposed to religious proselytizing and that the district can be trusted to monitor volunteers who might be tempted to circumvent this law.

—-

It’s a bitch, isn’t it, when climate change comes right up and slaps you in the face? “Hey, buddy, I’m real and I’m here. My name is Drought.”

The driest fall in more than half a century has shut down the BC Hydro power generating plant on the Puntledge River and it’s also turned off the taps up at Mt Washington. The ski area’s tough water restrictions reflect the severity of our drought and also warn us about the future.

It has long been forecasted that Vancouver Island’s glaciers will disappear within the next two decades and that the declining snowpack will intensify and stretch our summer droughts, which are now extending into winter.

So it’s up to every Comox Valley resident, not just the skiers on the hill, to conserve water. Install low-volume toilets. Flush when necessary. Don’t leave taps open. Plant drought-tolerate species. Is it too late to add recycling wastewater for agriculture, golf courses and parks to the regional sewerage system?

One thing we know for sure about our water resources is that, in the long run, they’re not going to get any better than they are today.

—

YAY – A breakthrough in nuclear fusion is coming. According to the New York Times, Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California announced yesterday that they have “successfully used lasers to achieve nuclear fusion whose output exceeded the input from the lasers.” This verifies the potential of nuclear fusion as a future energy source, which will be a game-changer in our fight against climate change. But its practical use is still a long way from being harnessed for broad consumption.

BOO – To those who go about things in the wrong way. SIMBA Investments’ Shawn Vincent and Russell Tibbles basically berated Town of Comox staff at last week’s council meeting for not giving them what they wanted, when they wanted it. And then, doubling down on his Not-The-Nice-Guy Act, Vincent referred to Mayor Nicole Minions by her first name instead of showing the respect for her title that she deserves during a formal council meeting. But then, Vincent was there to tell the council that he is suing the town, so it really couldn’t have gone much better.

YAY — For another two years without auto insurance rate hikes. The NDP government plans to freeze ICBC rates for another 24 months. That will make five years in a row. Switching to the “no-fault” insurance model last year, which eliminated lawyers from the system, has helped keep costs down. And that’s good news for all of us shaking our heads over $7 for a head of lettuce. 

 

 

 

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Questions raised about prayer in schools, SD71 puts hold on faith-based volunteers

Questions raised about prayer in schools, SD71 puts hold on faith-based volunteers

by | Dec 9, 2022

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Questions raised about prayer in schools, SD71 puts hold on faith-based volunteers

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Comox Valley schools, like most schools across Canada, rely on community volunteers for non-educational activities, which allows educators to devote more time to teaching.

But the question of who monitors the activities of these volunteers to ensure they are not reaching beyond the limits of the district’s policies and procedures surfaced this week in School District 71.

Parents of children in the Cumberland Community School wrote to the school board and district administrators this week raising concerns about the activities of representatives of the Comox Valley chapter of Youth For Christ. The parents say the Youth For Christ (YFC) representatives are holding prayer sessions for Grade 8 and Grade 9 students.

In response to the Dec. 6 letter, the board and the district administration have put a hold on any further public volunteers in schools connected to faith-based groups, such as YFC, until the district can do a review to determine the next steps with the issue.

Provincial legislation prohibits religious teaching in schools.

Comox Valley School Board Chair Michelle Waite told Decafnation that the district already has several administrative procedures in place relating to this issue and that the existing procedures will also be reviewed as a result of the letter.

It is the Board of Education that sets policy while the Superintendent creates administrative procedures about how schools are to implement or follow specific board policies.

But it is the school principal that decides who from the community is allowed to interact with students and who monitors their activities to ensure they are compliant with all policies and procedures, including the BC Human Rights Code and the BC School Act.

Waite said the review will determine what has been taking place, including if there have been any prayer-type activities,

“We have heard the parents and this review will ascertain the facts. We have put a hold on YFC and other similar groups out of caution and good practice. Once we have all the information, we can decide how to move forward,” Waite said.

In addition to the two parents who wrote the letter, the school’s Parent Advisory Council has been concerned about YFC activities and raised the issue in October with the school’s principal, Erica Black, who dismissed their concerns, according to our sources.

 

PARENTS LETTER

In their letter, parents Elisabeth Lee and Troy Therrien (a newly elected Cumberland Village council member) say that Youth For Christ representatives are working with students at the Cumberland Community School. And that work includes a drop-in sports time for Grade 8 and Grade 9 students on Fridays during recess that concludes with a prayer session.

The parents say this is inappropriate because it violates the School Act, infringes on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and “contravenes SD71 board policies 17 and 24, among others.”

Lee and Therrien also say “the lack of transparency around this issue has been problematic.”

Students, their parents and families, have not been made aware that the YFC volunteer is associated with Youth For Christ or that there will be a prayer session, they say. And that school announcements about the open gym time only use the acronym YFC and do not define what YFC stands for.

There is also a concern that the YFC representative gained access to the school as a “volunteer” but who is actually a community youth worker employed by Youth Unlimited YFC Comox Valley.

 

WHO IS YOUTH UNLIMITED YFC?

Board Chair Waite says that volunteers from YFC have been active in Comox Valley schools since the early 1990s. But “up until now, no one has complained about their activities to the board.”

According to its website, YFC is “a Christian faith-based, not-for-profit organization that primarily engages with youth ages 10-20. Our experienced staff is deeply committed and caring. We support youth through contextualized youth programs and intentional relationships. We passionately believe in the potential of each young person with whom we interact, and are dedicated to providing opportunities for them to lead what Jesus calls “lives to the full.”

Youth For Christ/Youth Unlimited is an international, non-denominational Christian youth organization. There are 36 Chartered and five Affiliate Chapters in Canada, with 300 ministry sites and 900 different programs, according to their website.

They publish a “Weekly Ministry Schedule” that lists activities at Glacier View Alternative School, Highland Secondary, Lake Trail Middle School and Cumberland Community School.

In its recent newsletter, YFC Youth Work Elena Harper wrote, “I’m so encouraged that as a team here at YFC we get to play a large role in the introduction of the gospel to these students and we get to steward and foster those relationships. The Holy Spirit is filling hearts, places, homes and schools this season.”

 

HOW YFC BECAME AN ISSUE

According to sources close to Comox Valley parent groups, people became aware of Youth For Christ activities when Anita DeVries ran unsuccessfully for a school trustee position in the October elections. DeVries campaigned by handing out anti-SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identification) propaganda leaflets in front of Lake Trail and Courtenay Elementary schools.

Voters and parents started looking at DeVries and discovered her relationship with YFC. From there, parents realized that a family farm used for school district field trips was donating part of its admission fees to YFC and now most school groups have switched to a different farm.

Our sources say that YFC alleged online that they were feeding kids lunches in local schools, which was news to Parent Advisory Councils.

Tensions began to rise at the Cumberland PAC, according to our sources, because when they brought up concerns about YFC on multiple occasions to Principal Black, she dismissed them as not a problem. It appeared to some, our sources say, that the youth workers’ affiliation with YFC was being hidden.

“It is even more troubling when students (and families) have not had the opportunity for informed consent around participation in these activities,” Lee and Therrien wrote in their Dec. 6 letter.

 

WHAT’S NEXT

With only a week left before schools break for the December holiday season, not much is likely to happen until the new year.

Board Chair Waite told Decafnation that there is no timeline set to conclude the review, but she says the issue “is on the top of mind for the district, a priority, now that it has been raised.”

In the meantime, the ban on faith-based “volunteers” in district schools will remain in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

According to BC’s School Act, 76 (1) All schools and Provincial schools must be conducted on strictly secular and non-sectarian principles. (2) The highest morality must be inculcated, but no religious dogma or creed is to be taught in a school or Provincial school.

All of B.C.’s schools’ Codes of Conduct are required to reference BC Human Rights Code as it supersedes everything.

SD 71 Administrative Procedure 207 Conduct Related to Secular and Non-Sectarian Principles

SD 71 Administrative Procedure 153 External Organization Access to Students

SD 71 Administrative Procedure 550 Use of School Facilities

SD 71 Administrative Procedure 490 Volunteers in School Districts

All SD71 policies can be found here

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School trustee candidates for Dec. 12 Area C by-election speak at digital forum

School trustee candidates for Dec. 12 Area C by-election speak at digital forum

by | Dec 1, 2020

The 2020 COVID virus pandemic played a role in the Area C school trustee candidates forum  |  Image from the Comox Valley Schools Facebook page

School trustee candidates for Dec. 12 Area C by-election speak at digital forum

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In the Comox Valley’s first digital-only local government election forum last night, six Electoral Area C candidates made their pitch for the Dec. 12 District 71 trustee by-election.

The six candidates — Randi Baldwin, Kandice Bielert, Monica Parkin, Terence Purden, Cristi May-Sacht and Rob Thompson — answered questions about accountability, the district’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity program, how schools should handle the stress and mental concerns caused by the pandemic and how they would handle public criticisms of board decisions.

Jenn Fisher and Brooke Finlayson, members of the District Parent Advisory Council, organized the forum in response to requests from Area C parents. Fisher, the DPAC secretary, introduced the forum and Finlayson, DPAC vice-chair, asked questions submitted by parents.

In a statement to Decafnation after the forum, District 71 School Board Chair Sheila McDonnell thanked the DPAC organizers and all the candidates for showing such interest in education.

“We are pleased to have this interest in School District 71 and encourage eligible residents of Area C to get out to vote,” she said. “We look forward to having a successful candidate join us in working to support student success in the Valley.”

Finlayson told Decafnation that the forum’s questions were submitted by parents, community, and partner groups to help voters in their decision making.

“DPAC’s mandate is to provide opportunities for parent education, and although it is not only parents who vote, all community members have a vested interest in education,” she said. “We appreciate the candidate’s willingness to participate and to answer the questions asked of them. We have received positive feedback that last night’s forum was helpful.”

 

THE QUESTIONS

As it has for most of 2020, the COVID pandemic shaded most of the candidates’ opening statements and it returned repeatedly in their response throughout the evening.

And while candidates expressed differences in style, there were few clear disagreements over district policies.

The exception came when the candidates were asked for their opinions on the district’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity program (SOGI), which is a provincially mandated part of the curriculum.

Purden said the SOGI policy was “written for lawyers.” And Thompson said he doesn’t support “100 percent of 100 percent of the policy,” but added that would also be true of any particular program.

Baldwin and Bielert noted that the SOGI program is part of the Ministry of Education’s curriculum, so they support it. They also would monitor feedback from students and teachers, to see how it’s working, whether it’s effective and if everyone is comfortable.

Parkin said there’s “always room for change” and that “how we treat one person should be how we treat everyone.” She said the program is mandated so the district is obligated to support it. “We should leave our biases aside,” she said.

May-Sacht said she’s “thankful the program is finally here” because people naturally “fear the unknown.” She supported “educating parents and students with dignity and respect.”

 

OTHER QUESTIONS

On the question of trustee accountability, most candidates emphasized the importance of listening carefully to constituents and teachers and share that feedback with the full board.

Parkin equated accountability with integrity and honesty. May-Sacht said accountability meant taking responsibility for your actions and doing what you say you will do.

Baldwin said trustees are accountable to everyone in the chain, from students to the Education Minister.

Bielert said it meant not just giving lip service to parents and PACs.

Thompson said it requires trustees to stay up-to-date all the time and to speak with great intent.

On the question of how to ensure Area C parents stay engaged with schools, all of the candidates’ responses revolved around communication.

Baldwin the keys to parental engagement was communication, listening and attending PAC meetings.

Bielert said the needs and concerns of parents on issues like SOGI and bullying should have a larger voice at the board to validate them.

Parkin said she would address issues unique to Area C, such as busing and the age of schools in the area. Parents need to be heard on those issues and trustees should be tuned into them. They should be as visible and available as possible.

May-Scaht said the trustees should participate in the schools’ PACs and engage parents differently, using Zoom and social media.

On the question of how they would handle conflicts with the public when they think a board decision is unfair, the candidates expressed different approaches but generally agreed that more careful listening was needed.

Thompson referred to his long history as an educator at the secondary and post-secondary levels and of his experience in handling corners. He said the objective is always to find a consensus where everyone can operate safely.

Parkin said she would endeavor to find the roots of a complaint. Before responding to a parent, she would go back and ask more questions to get to the deeper reasons for their concerns.

May-Sacht said the trustee is just one person that is part of a larger team. And they may not be able to change a board decision, but she would allow people to vent, and answer them honestly, getting more information when necessary.

Purden said he would listen carefully.

Baldwin would respectfully listen and take the feedback to the board, but said that a trustee can’t change a board decision.

Bielert would listen to hear if the person felt they were part of a process. She said board decisions stand, but sometimes decisions need to be reviewed.

On the question of how to ease the stress and possible mental health concerns during these disruptive times, the candidates had a variety of suggestions.

May-Sacht suggested opening lines of communication and focusing on what everyone can do, such as share love and encourage positivity at home. She urged people to be physically active.

Purden said the board should keep people up to date so there’s no confusion or fear.

Baldwin focused on communication and the importance of trustees leading by example. Fear is the problem, she said, because it makes it hard to function, but it can be alleviated with information.

Bielert said trustees can be supportive and positive and ensure safety measures in the schools.

Thompson returned to the listening theme. He said it demonstrates the intent to trust and encourages trust. He suggested the concept of appreciative enquiry, or looking for the right things and to always circle back with people.

Parkin said her first objective is to make sure everyone in the schools are physically and emotionally safe. And that they feel valued whoever they are at their core.

 

WHEN, WHERE TO VOTE

Advance voting begins tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm at the Merville Hall, 1245 Fenwick Road, Merville. And it continues on Thursday, Dec.10, from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm at the School District Office, 607 Cumberland Road, Courtenay.

General Voting takes place on Saturday, Dec.12, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at NAVIGATE school, formerly called NIDES and prior to that, referred to as Tsolum School, 2505 Smith Road, Courtenay.

 

 

 

 

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Rob Thompson: SD 71 trustee candidate looks at the future of education post-pandemic

Rob Thompson: SD 71 trustee candidate looks at the future of education post-pandemic

by | Nov 11, 2020

Rob Thompson, candidate for the Area C position on the Comox Valley School Board  |  Submitted photo

Rob Thompson: SD 71 trustee candidate looks at the future of education post-pandemic

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BY ROB THOMPSON

At this stage, we should be preparing for worst-case scenario. Covid-Coronavirus is showing no signs of dissipating soon. The remainder of this item is offered with absolute respect and is in no way intended to make light of the situation. People are passing away from this disease.

That said, the pandemic eventually will loosen its grasp on our lives and our economy, and we will have fiscal liabilities remaining at every level of government – Federal, Provincial, Municipal. One way of offsetting at least some of these deficits will be to use the most cost-effective methods for the delivery of services.

Online-virtual education at Kindergarten-Grade 12 level seems set to be one of these cost-effective services.

I did an MA in Leadership at Royal Roads on the cusp of this century, completing a thesis in implementing online education (k-12). I was then hired by RRU to, over the next decade-plus. instruct cohorts of administrators, both domestic and international, in which technologies-programs at the time best suited K-12 learners – and to instruct teachers, both domestic and international, in how best to utilize the technologies selected to engage K-12 learners to maximum effect.

My situation was therefore balanced positively, as I was working with K-12 administrators and teachers at the same time I was working with secondary school students themselves day-to-day.

I am in the process of completing my Education Doctorate, with a thesis on the topic of what K-12 learners in this current (2020) decade bring to the table in terms of preferences, skills, knowledge and attributes. The majority proportion of these students seem well prepared to maximize their learning in online-virtual environments, quite possibly reducing the need for as many face-to-face learning sessions and therefore reducing the need for as many face-to-face spaces.

I don’t claim to know everything about these complex areas of education.

Nor do I know everything about every one of the learners in the K-12 pipeline. They are your daughters and your sons: you know them better than anyone. So we will need you to step up and engage in the conversation. If elected as a Trustee for SD71, I will invite you to participate in this conversation.

There is nothing to say there is not a ‘sweet spot’ (a mix of online-virtual and face-to-face learning experiences) that extends each child’s learning to the maximum possible for that child.

With that in mind, space is space. Space can be used by any number of processes. Down island, the kilns of a no longer functioning mill have been converted to both work and office spaces for small businesses. Imagine a scenario where fewer face-to-face learning experiences mean consolidation of existing ‘schools’ into fewer buildings – leaving the remaining buildings for, well, housing, or offices, or other necessary, potential revenue-creating activities.

Education for every child remains my priority – and my focus should I be elected Trustee.

That includes the possibilities that might become available for our indigenous children. Imagine the possibilities of an indigenous child from our community joining an online-virtual environment shared by other indigenous children located internationally, with all of that access to countless centuries of ‘ways of knowing’ and techniques of knowledge dissemination.

All of this is possible. Vote for me, and let’s fire up the conversation.

 

AREA C VOTERS TO ELECT NEW SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE

Due to the resignation of the formerly elected Area C representative, voters will go to the polls on Saturday, Dec. 12 to choose a new school board trustee. The six candidates are:

Randi Baldwin, Kandice Bielert, Monica Parkin, Terence Pruden, Cristi May Sacht and Robert Thompson.

All candidates are welcome to submit articles for publication on this website.

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New approach to mental health, substance issues to benefit SD71 students

by | Sep 12, 2019

Photo Caption

New approach to mental health, substance issues to benefit SD71 students

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Comox Valley students with mental health or substance use issues will have a new and more easily accessible pathway for help starting sometime in December.

The province has chosen School District 71 as the second of five districts to pilot a project linking health care and school resources to create a “one-care-plan” approach that will provide help when and where students need it.

BC Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Judy Darcy made the announcement at GP Vanier High School today. The province has allocated $22.1 million over three years to implement the project in five districts. Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows was the first.

Tom Demeo, Superintendent of Schools, Comox Valley School District praised the new concept.

“We are extremely fortunate to be part of this great initiative,” he said. “Student mental health is one of our district’s strategic focuses and through this partnership, we will be able to work collaboratively with our community partners to provide our students with resources that will strengthen and improve their mental health.”

In making the announcement, Darcy said estimated 84,000 BC children aged four to 17 years experience mental health disorders at any given time. From 2009 to 2017, there was an 86 percent increase in hospitalizations in B.C. for mental health issues among youth under 25 years of age.

She said promoting wellness, preventing mental health and addictions challenges, and intervening early in life can reduce problems as people grow and develop. She estimated that 70 percent of mental health and substance use problems have their onset during childhood or adolescence.

Ronna-Rae Leonard, Courtenay-Comox MLA, welcomed the news.

“We’ve seen a tremendous increase in enrolment over the past few years so added supports – especially in the areas of mental health and overall wellness for students – could not have come at a better time,” she said.

According to a ministry press release “integrated teams will work closely with school and team-based primary care and specialized services providers to offer wraparound care to children, youth and their families.

This means individuals experiencing mental health and substance use challenges and their families will no longer need to retell their stories to different care providers or search on their own for the supports they need.”

“For far too long, families have had to knock on door after door to get the help they need for their children,” Darcy said. “These integrated child and youth teams will make it so much easier to connect young people to the help they need, where and when they need it.”

Darcy and Leonard were in the Comox Valley today for the announcement.

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