Families and community leaders are rallying in Williams Lake, calling on the minister of education and childcare to respond to concerns of racism and bullying in School District 27 (SD 27).
Members of Esk’etemc First Nation and representatives from the Concerned Parents and Caregivers of Williams Lake (CPWL) peacefully marched to the school district’s doorstep on Tuesday, April 1, requesting the Minister of Education and Child Care (MECC) Lisa Beare respond to their request to meet face-to-face and hear their stories.
“Our request for that meeting has gone unanswered,” said Esk’etemc Kukpi7 (chief) Fred Robbins. “Every day that goes by, we hear more and more stories of children and youth, not just from our Nation of Esk’etemc, but throughout the region, who fear going to school. How terrible is that?”
In an interview with simplymastery following the rally, Robbins said he has been pushing for an investigation into SD 27 for three years now.
“As people that are being discriminated against or bullied or harassed or racially profiled, we need a process that we know is going to work, that we know there's going to be an outcome, there's going to be results,” Robbins said. “Right now, we don't.”
Kukpi7 Robbins said he has collected 15 videos and 32 letters from students and staff which testify to issues which he said have gone unaddressed by current and previous SD 27 superintendents and leadership.
“They need to give us the authority to go in and investigate and I don’t see what the problem is. If they have nothing to hide, prove it, let’s get that investigation going.”
In a response to simplymastery's request for comment, MECC said they are meeting weekly with SD 27 leadership to address the concerns. The ministry also said Beare has met with with SD 27 leadership as well as leaders from Williams Lake First Nation, and would be happy to meet with Kukpi7 Robbins.
"The ministry has directed B.C.’s provincial safety experts, Safer Schools Together, to conduct an independent, comprehensive, district-wide review of the Cariboo-Chilcotin School District’s culture and climate," wrote the ministry, adding that Kaleb Child is involved in the review upon Kukpi7 Robbins' request.
It also said the ministry is supporting the district with external experts to help with governance, finance, administration and the byelection. Mike Roberts, who served as a superintendent for School District 23 from 2006 to 2009, is helping the district with policy development and with learning opportunities including public engagement. Joan Oxford, who was School District 63's secretary treasurer from 1998 until 2011, is helping SD 27 leadership with budget planning, financial review and contract and property matters. Mark Walsh was appointed as the Chief Electoral Officer for the district's rescheduled byelections.
At least 50 people gathered under the sun for the rally, standing before the school district offices where the blinds were shut. Among them were students, parents, grandparents and Esk’etemc council members wearing pink badges and shirts and holding signs which read “stand up” and “bullying and racial violence are no joke.”
Irene Johnson, a mother, grandmother and an Esk’etemc council member, opened the rally with a prayer. She later told simplymastery her own grandchildren have faced racism and bullying in SD 27 schools.
“We’ve been trying to meet with them to see what plan they have in place so they can support our children,” Johnson said after recounting an incident from two years ago when a teacher made a racist and insensitive comment to her grandchild. When she met with school and district staff, she said all she was told was ‘we hear you.’ No one had an answer when she asked what plan they had to address the issue.
“It felt like nobody really had an idea of how to deal with all of this stuff that’s going on,” Johnson said. Another one of her grandchildren had to move away to attend school elsewhere because the bullying and violence they faced was not being addressed.
She made it clear, there are some very great teachers in the school district, and on paper, the policies in place may appear to be sufficient. But in practice, she said, it’s a different story.
“Where is the belonging...where is the respect?” she wondered.
What students are experiencing is affecting how they think about themselves, she added, but the solution is simple: sit down, listen and work towards a solution.
“We’re all adults, we’re all professionals, how do we sit and come up with a plan so that when someone is bullied, we stop it?”
Esk’etemc Education Coordinator Calvin Dubray hosted the event, beginning with a statement which said children in the district don’t feel safe going to school.
“We want to stand up and speak up and acknowledge that bullying and racial discrimination are no joke,” Dubray said.
In an interview with Black Press, Dubray alleged the district leadership has created a climate of fear, leading to a “closed system.”
“A closed system is a very dangerous system," he said. “There’s others out there that would love to have a voice but can’t because they're worried about being reprimanded or punished in some way. You're going to hear more and more from them,” he added, countering the district’s current superintendent Cheryl Lenardon’s earlier statement which said complaints of violence and bullying are coming from a “small but vocal” group.
Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) Grand Chief Stewart Phillip provided a statement for the rally which responded to the superintendent’s comments.
“This dismissive attitude stands in blatant disregard of the concerns shared by parents, caregivers and B.C. First Nations standing up for the rights and wellbeing of our young learners,” Phillip’s statement read. The Grand Chief is president of the UBCIC which passed a resolution last fall supporting Esk’etemc’s call for an investigation.
In an emailed response to simplymastery’s inquiries, Lenardon said the district heard the concerns expressed during the rally.
“We know that parents and families care deeply about their children and their future, as do we,” she wrote, noting the district continues to work closely with the ministry who supports their work.
“That’s why we regularly engage with our communities to celebrate student successes and find common solutions to challenges. We continue to look for ways to address concerns as we know there is always room for growth and improvement, and we fully recognize that hard work is ahead of us.”
Kathy MacDonald, Melissa Coates and George Hobi were also at the rally as parents and caregivers from the group CPWL which has more than doubled in membership in recent months as they continue to vocalize their concerns around violence, bullying and racism in SD 27 schools.
Coates spoke during the rally, saying both CPWL and Esk’etemc found their experiences with the school district were similar.
“This issue for our kids is too important not to keep standing up for...Our kids are counting on us, and we cannot, and will not, let them down,” she said.
MacDonald told Black Press the rally was to stand up for the students of today and of the future.
“If we don’t stand up now who’s to say what the school system is going to be like for our kids in five, 10 years’ time?”
CPWL has sent three letters over the last two months, two addressed to Safer Schools Together which is conducting a review of SD 27's culture and climate, and all three also addressing the province. Esk’etemc also included signatures in these letters, but the minister's response addressed CPWL alone. In Beare's response, dated Monday, March 31, she said SST is independent of the school district and that she looks forward to see what recommendations are brought forward from its review.
“We are not asking for a review; we are asking for a full-fledged investigation into School District 27,” Hobi told Black Press.
Esk’etemc and CPWL have created a survey as a step up to one made by Safer Schools Together which they said was not properly distributed and had serious shortcomings.
The survey can be accessed online at https://bit.ly/standup2025.
This story has been updated with a response from the Ministry of Education and Child Care.
