Emails reveal school board using human rights to silence parents
Emails filed in court show parents were told discussing the practice of reciting land acknowledgements was verboten. The board claims human rights obligations override such discussions.
Emails reveal an Ontario school board told parents they are not allowed to question or object to land acknowledgements, with administrators saying the topic was off-limits and that even discussing the issue could violate human rights policy.
The disclosures were part of a constitutional challenge against the Waterloo Region District School Board.
Geoffrey Horsman — a parent, school council member and biochemistry professor — has asked the courts to override the board’s decision to impose land acknowledgements at school council meetings.
According to new evidence submitted by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, including internal email exchanges, Horsman raised “grave” concerns about “the politicization of the school,” asking the board chair to “open up these conversations in a respectful way.”
