The Chilliwack Teachers’ Association (CTA) is calling on the minister of education to review the Chilliwack Board of Education.
They made the announcement on Wednesday morning (May 13), following yet another tense board meeting that included disparaging comments directed at local teachers.
“The CTA is … calling on Minister Rob Fleming to appoint a Special Investigator to review the conduct of the Board, and has reached out to local and provincial education partners requesting support in this matter,” said Ed Klettke, president of the CTA.
READ MORE: Trio of Chilliwack school trustees reject arbitrator’s decision for second time
This follows a statement last week that the CTA passed a non-confidence vote against the board. Three trustees had been rejecting binding arbitration on the district’s upcoming school calendar over the length of the spring break. While arguing their rationale for rejecting the arbitration, trustees Barry Neufeld, Heather Maahs and Darrell Furgason slammed both the union and the process for the discussions that led to the arbitrator being called in.
The statement from the CTA does not specify which issues of conduct they would like investigated, however, they have also created a hashtag meant to counter negative news stories coming out of the school board discussions. They also note that Trustee Barry Neufeld has expressed “negativity and prejudice” recently.
In response, they have created a hashtag for positive stories to be shared on social media, #ThisIsMyChilliwack.
READ MORE: Chilliwack school trustee issues public apology for Facebook post criticizing Dr. Theresa Tam
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