Education Minister Stephen Lecce has written every school board in the province to tell them its not OK to exclude parents who are police officers from participating in parent days, nor to ask them to appear in civilian clothes. Wrote the Minister, “recently, we have become aware of certain school boards and schools not allowing parents in their police service uniform to attend certain school events such as parent days and career fairs.
“I am writing to set out in the clearest terms my expectation that these parents, and others who proudly wear uniforms as part of their occupation, are to be welcomed to attend career fairs, Bring Your Parent to School Day, and other similar engagements that take place in schools.”
“Those school boards who are not allowing parents in their service uniforms are enabling division instead of bringing all segments of civil society together as we work to counter very real threats to communities across the province.”
“School boards who have implemented this type of policy must reverse this decision and ensure our schools remain welcoming to frontline police and all first responders who work around the clock to keep families and schools safe.”
A spokesperson for the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board says the Lecce memo does not apply to school boards like Hamilton that removed police liaison programs completely from their curriculum. Hamilton dropped its liaison program in the immediate aftermath of the George Floyd murder in 2020 when anti police sentiment was at its peak.
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