Tuesday night I am presenting my delegation @DPCDSBSchools in favour of flying the Pride Flag and recognizing Pride Month. The board has previously rejected their Pride motions. The Trustees are convening for a Special Board meeting to reconsider their position; It is my belief that all students and staff have a right to be accepted and welcomed in our schools. We passed these motions @tcdsb 5 years ago and we are better for it. My statement 👇 ; My name is Markus de Domenico. I am Trustee for Ward 2 Etobicoke Centre at the Toronto Catholic District School Board and former Chair of the Board of Trustees. TCDSB is the largest Catholic Board in Canada serving 90,000 students, and the largest publicly funded Catholic Board in the world. I want to thank OECTA for advocating to the Minister of Education for the reconsideration of the motion banning the Pride flag. It is not lost on me that the Minister considers this matter so important, he has directed Supervisor Byers to convene this Special Board to have this issue re-examined. Special boards are rare. We have only had one at the TCDSB. As Trustee, I have met with thousands of students, staff, parents, and Catholic faith leaders. They’ve shared their unique vision of Catholic education. The discussions have been informative, inspiring, sometimes challenging and occasionally heartbreaking. It’s a privilege to assist families in their children’s educational journey and to provide support. The role of Trustee is vital to student achievement. Catholic Boards face a number of policy issues that some construe as either Human Rights or Denominational rights. I find them to be inextricably linked. In 2019, Minister Lecce directed all boards to align their Code of Conduct with the Ontario Human Rights Code. PPM 128, asserted the Ontario Human Rights Code holds primacy over the Education Act and Ministry policies. All Boards now include terms like gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation in their codes. These same terms are in your Board rules for delegations. Catholic Boards cannot exist without government funding. Billions of taxpayer dollars support Catholic Education. Governments decide where funding goes or doesn’t go. We have witnessed how tenuous our right to public funding is and how that right has disappeared in most provinces. Our faith teaches us that God is love, not hate, joy not anger, protection not persecution. Our church has flourished because of His message of love and hope, as it stands in stark contrast to a world that continually embraces darkness and despair. He is the light. Our curriculum reflects God’s teachings, and is crafted and presented through the lens of Christ. Respect and acceptance are rooted in our faith. Despite the best of intentions, today’s reality is that members of 2SLGBTQIA community continue to be bullied, excluded, and made to feel unwelcome. Flying the Pride flag signals support for students and staff who have been marginalized for decades, and who face significantly more bullying and harmful mental health challenges than the school population as a whole. The flag is a symbol of acceptance and acknowledging those who currently feel unwelcome. The New Testament has many stories of Christ reaching out to those who are rejected and marginalized. He embraced them, and loved them. The church has shown us the power of faith and compassion. Reconciliation with First Nations peoples is a powerful example of God’s love. Five years ago Trustees at TCDSB passed a motion recognizing Pride Month, and authorizing flying the flag at the board office and our schools. The result of that motion? Our schools continue to excel, Catholic teaching and instruction remains at the centre of our mission, and our schools are more inclusive and welcoming. The Board’s actions enhanced the status of Catholic education. Excluding students and staff from a community has the opposite effect. It is never easy to stand against the angry voices but it is always right to stand up for your students and staff. We are stronger when we lead with love and understanding. Tonight is your opportunity to reflect, show leadership and demonstrate how as Catholics we put our faith in action. I respectfully ask you to reevaluate the issue of the Pride Flag and to vote for this expression of acceptance. @breacorbet @BonnieCrombie @oectagovernor @TECT951 @tsuOECTA 🏳️🌈
