Education Minister Ditches Meeting about School Racism and Bullying Concerns

A First Nation and a concerned parents’ group in B.C.’s central Interior say they are disappointed that Education Minister Lisa Beare cancelled plans to visit the region and hear long-standing concerns about bullying and racism in the local school district.

The meeting went ahead anyway, in the small community of Esk’et, about 50 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake, without the minister.

The July 30 event was arranged after what the Esk’etemc of the Secwépemc Nation described as years of trying to bring attention to unaddressed racism issues within the Cariboo-Chilcotin School District, also known as School District 27.

The Tyee previously reported that some community members are concerned with discrimination and violence in the local school system. They allege that students, teachers and support workers have been targeted by racism and bullying.

At least one student chose to leave the district. That student told The Tyee that they no longer felt safe attending their local school. Instead, the student graduated this spring in Vancouver, 600 kilometres from home, after the school district failed to respond adequately to incidents of bullying, they said.

At least a half-dozen Esk’etemc students simply refuse to attend school, Kúkpi7 Fred Robbins told The Tyee.

After a half-hour virtual meeting with the nation in May, Beare was invited to visit Esk’etemc territory and hear directly from community members, Robbins said. The minister accepted that invitation in June and the meeting was set for late July.

But Beare cancelled on July 25, according to a statement issued last week by Esk’etemc and local advocacy group Concerned Parents and Caregivers of Williams Lake. Representatives from School District 27, who had also planned to attend, sent their regrets “a few hours later,” the group said.

“We have been told the minister’s door is open to a government-to-government meeting,” Robbins said in the statement. “We will go back to the drawing board to figure out how quickly we can get that meeting to happen to help move forward with solutions to address racial violence and bullying in our local school district.”

The Education Ministry provided a statement in response to The Tyee’s request for comment but did not directly respond to questions about why the meeting was cancelled. It said the meeting with Esk’etemc leaders will be rescheduled “at a later date.”

The Tyee did not receive a response prior to deadline to questions sent to School District 27 Supt. Cheryl Lenardon.

The grassroots Concerned Parents and Caregivers of Williams Lake group was launched in early 2024 in response to what its members describe as inadequate handling of bullying in local schools. The group began working with Esk’etemc in the fall.

The meeting went ahead on July 30 with other participants, including Union of BC Indian Chiefs Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, despite the minister and school district representatives not attending.

The agenda included a presentation on Esk’etemc history and culture and discussion about a school culture review recently undertaken by Surrey-based Safer Schools Together.

The review was launched in response to calls from Esk’etemc for a thorough investigation of the school district by the ministry in partnership with the nation. Both the First Nation and the concerned parents’ group have described the Safer Schools Together review as inadequate.

While the Safer Schools Together review lists Esk’etemc leadership among those consulted, the nation said consultations were limited to a single preliminary meeting and the nation was not given an opportunity to provide feedback on the process taken to complete the review and its analysis.

The ministry and the school district have pointed to the Safer Schools Together review as a path to restoring relationships and trust in the local school system.

“Our hope is that this transparent review helps invite people into the process, for us to discuss and work together on programs and solutions,” Lenardon said in a statement in May.

Beare said in her statement to The Tyee that her office is working with Esk’etemc leadership and the local school district “to explore ways to advance student success.”

“I remain committed to supporting local leadership, building trust and moving forward, government to government,” Beare wrote, adding that she had directed the district to implement recommendations from the Safer Schools Together review.

“I know the district also shares my commitment to ensuring all schools are safe, supportive spaces for both students and staff.”

A heavily redacted version of the review’s 171-page final report, which was publicly released in July, shows that Safer Schools Together found a “mixed narrative” regarding student safety, racism and other school safety measures.

While some questionnaire responses “suggested a perceived imbalance in the focus on Indigenous culture and perspectives,” feedback from Indigenous leaders and council members “expressed a need to address the racist attitudes exhibited by some educators and students,” it said.

“The extensive coverage and dialogue of school district issues within the broader community creates a narrative that may not accurately represent the experiences of all parents and Indigenous communities regarding racism and student safety,” the report found.

It called on the school district to develop a “comprehensive work plan” for implementing the report’s recommendations, which included a communications strategy and working with First Nations to address concerns.

The redacted sections include one titled “feedback from community partners” and another called “feedback from Indigenous leadership.” Both have been entirely omitted from the public version of the report. Feedback from students and educators has also been omitted.

In response to The Tyee’s formal request for the document, the ministry omitted the same information based on sections of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act that protect privacy and policy advice.

The Tyee has asked B.C.’s Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner to review the ministry’s decision to withhold the information.

The Union of BC Indian Chiefs’ Phillip, who had travelled to Esk’et for the meeting, said in the statement issued by Esk’etemc and Concerned Parents and Caregivers of Williams Lake that he was “honoured to be invited to Esk’et for this very important meeting.”

“I raise my hands to those who took these brave steps to share their stories,” he said.

“UBCIC looks forward to working together alongside Esk’etemc and Minister Beare on the fulsome implementation of the province’s review in School District 27 and to creating meaningful solutions and lasting change for the well-being of young learners across the province,” Phillip’s statement continued.