To the Mountain View School Division Family:
Further to the statement released by the MVSD Board of Trustees on Tuesday, I would like to reiterate to all of our valued operational staff, students, parents, and community members that I am greatly upset and disturbed by the words spoken by a Trustee during Monday evening’s Regular Board Meeting. It has done much damage that has the potential to undo years of important reconciliation work and runs against all that we stand for. I am personally disappointed that I did not attempt to interrupt and stop the presentation, so I take ownership as someone who was present in the room. I do not want, however, the great work that is currently being done and that has been done in MVSD Schools to stop because of this. We have great schools. We have great staff. We have great students. The tough work of anti-racism and reconciliation continues as it must. It is up to all of us to ensure that our most valued resource, our students, remain safe, respected and able to be the best that they can be by attending our MVSD schools. Our leadership team is second to none with the ongoing support of the Umbay Nagamon project which is in its third year of existence where reconciliation facilitations are taken to MVSD Schools and communities with amazingly positive results. We value our close relationship with our Indigenous partners as their children attend our schools and they are exposed to an education that reflects their Indigenous heritage. We value our work with our Indigenous students and families and have created the position of Coordinator of Indigenous Education just this year in order to highlight that. MVSD and all of the valuable and wonderful people that make it up, are too valuable be dismissed by the hurtful words of one. Together, we can stand for what we believe in; stand up to intolerance and racist behaviour, and demonstrate tolerance and acceptance of all. It is times like these that our work becomes a little more difficult, but that just means we dig in a little deeper and continue our journey forward.
Miigwetch!
Thank you!
Дякую!
Stephen Jaddock, Superintendent/CEO, Mountain View School Division