'Public schools must mirror
diversity of community'
December 21, 2002
BY MARK HUME
AND JANICE TIBBETTS
At a news conference yesterday, Mary Polack, chairwoman of the Surrey Scholl Board, expresses her disappointment in the court ruling. (photo by Chuck Stoody / The Canadian Press) |
VANCOUVER • The Surrey School Board will revisit its ban of three "same-sex" books after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled yesterday the decision to keep the material out of classrooms was unreasonable.
While the British Columbia Teachers Federation and the two teachers who brought the appeal forward were celebrating their legal victory, the school board was making plans to take another look at the books, which depict families in which both parents are either men or women.
"We're disappointed that the court didn't uphold the board decision in its entirety," said Mary Polack, chairwoman of the Surrey School Board. "But we are pleased they upheld the right of parents to be primary educators."
"We are pleased that the court has remanded the decision to the board, thus respecting our role as elected representatives of our community," she