• Residents woke up this morning to find miniature Pride flags placed outside St. Brigid, St. Mark’s, and St. Brendan Catholic schools.
  • Bullet Point News was told they were put in place by a small group of Stouffville residents which included adults and children aged 6-15.
  • After months of contentious debate and protest, the York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) decided against flying the Progress Pride flag at their offices.
  • It is assumed the flags were installed as a quiet protest over the Board’s decision and were strategically placed on public property, not on school grounds.
  • This afternoon, the flags outside St. Brendan were no longer in place. A source, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Bullet Point News that an angry parent removed them.
  • Following the Board’s decision, Chair Frank Alexander wrote a letter to YCDSB staff boasting about new supports for 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, other sexual identities) students. These include an online “Report It” tool to submit instances of bullying and harassment and a mental health survey.
  • The letter also states that the YCDSB “clearly… stands against hatred” while informing staff that schools are only permitted to fly the Canadian flag.
  • The York Catholic Teachers union president Michael Totten condemned the letter in a response to the Chair and criticized the tool and survey, suggesting they were not doing nearly enough to support YCDSB’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
  • “I am writing to correct any misguided notion that the YCDSB Board of Trustees, as a body, represents leadership on these critical human rights issues,” his letter said. “Jesus is clear: we must show our love to everyone.”

St. Brigid Stouffville