Local school divisions react to recent pronoun policy changes

There has been no shortage of reaction across the province, following the latest provincial policy changes requiring parental or guardian consent for students under the age of 16 to be able to change their names and pronouns in the classroom this fall.

Board chair of the Living Sky School Division, Ronna Pethick said the announcement came about unexpectedly, and will be something they will be looking to learn more about.

“Our school division has five core values: one focuses on genuine relationships, another on belonging, and we pride ourselves on striving to live these values each day,” she said.

“We have always focused on, and will continue to build, strong relationships with our students and their families. We also work to create schools in which students feel safe, affirmed, and that they truly belong. We will be following-up with the ministry to ask questions and gain further clarification about this directive.”