The B.C. TeachersB次元官网网址� Federation has B次元官网网址渃ome out swingingB次元官网网址� 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 girlB次元官网网址檚 responsibility to dress modestly, and called teaching boys not to react as an untested B次元官网网址渆xperiment.B次元官网网址� 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 B次元官网网址渓ooking for the wrong kind of attention.B次元官网网址�

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B次元官网网址淲e thought it was important we come out swinging,B次元官网网址� Hansman told Black Press on Thursday. B次元官网网址淭his does contribute to body shaming in general.B次元官网网址�

He said the days of putting the onus on women, young women and even little girls to dress B次元官网网址渕odestlyB次元官网网址� are long gone.

B次元官网网址淚t makes it all about other peopleB次元官网网址檚 urges or desires,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hat your body is an object that is either something to be desired, or be disgusting.B次元官网网址�

While he agreed boys are also subject to body shaming, discrimination against girlsB次元官网网址� 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 familyB次元官网网址檚 morals and socio-economics.

But that was seen as a left-leaning B次元官网网址渋deologyB次元官网网址� by Maahs, Furgason, and Trustee Barry Neufeld as well.

While Maahs and Furgason both said they donB次元官网网址檛 want the board interfering with dress codes, Neufeld did agree itB次元官网网址檚 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 BoardB次元官网网址檚 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 ChilliwackB次元官网网址檚 trustees have been in the news over the last few days, it seems more districts are rushing to create similar policies.

B次元官网网址淚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 arenB次元官网网址檛 like them,B次元官网网址� Hansman said. B次元官网网址淰ictoria led the way last year and itB次元官网网址檚 long overdue, making sure weB次元官网网址檙e not making assumptions about gender. ItB次元官网网址檚 about time.B次元官网网址�

ItB次元官网网址檚 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.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of old ones that havenB次元官网网址檛 been taken off the shelves and dusted off,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淪ociety has kind of moved on and we are expecting from students a kind of formality and attire that doesnB次元官网网址檛 even really exist for staff anymore.B次元官网网址�

Of course, not all trustees were against ReicheltB次元官网网址檚 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.

B次元官网网址淚 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 manB次元官网网址檚) behaviour,B次元官网网址� Mumford said. B次元官网网址淚 would prefer to send a message that normalizes girlsB次元官网网址� 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.B次元官网网址�

He believes in the intent of the motion and supports a change in dress codes.

B次元官网网址淪ome argue that current dress codes prepare students for the B次元官网网址榬eal worldB次元官网网址�, 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,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 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 thatB次元官网网址檚 we need to look at as a board.B次元官网网址�

He said the motion wasnB次元官网网址檛 to create a policy at the table, but to suggest a policy with EPACB次元官网网址檚 help.

B次元官网网址淰ia EPAC, we will be able to get the viewpoint from all of our major stakeholders, including parents, teachers and administrators. ItB次元官网网址檚 the right way to proceed.B次元官网网址�

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 B次元官网网址減imps.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚f she has firsthand information about criminal activity, she should be reporting that to the police,B次元官网网址� Hansman said, noting that all teachers and staff at every school in B.C. has a duty to report abuse of any kind.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 going to take her at her word, and if I donB次元官网网址檛, the alternative is that sheB次元官网网址檚 making stuff up,B次元官网网址� he said.

As for Furgason, who noted he felt B次元官网网址渦ncomfortableB次元官网网址� across from female students who were not modestly dressed in his opinion, Hansman said it was B次元官网网址渃reepyB次元官网网址� 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.

B次元官网网址淚 will be acknowledging all the work that still has to be done,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎t the end of the day, violence against women and girls has not gone away in society and itB次元官网网址檚 long past the point where itB次元官网网址檚 the responsibility of girls and young women to get the perpetrators and stop doing this.B次元官网网址�

jpeters@theprogress.com
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