Did you know there were allegations of sexual abuse at a school your children attended? Probably not if you're on School District 61, which did its best to keep a tight lid on them.
A group of protesters rallied at Centennial Square on Canada Day to denounce School District 61 covering up sexual abuse perpetrated by one of its teachers on his pupils.
Scott Clazie was put on administrative leave by the district in the wake of those revelations, more in an attempt to sweep the incidents under the rug than to protect children. Clazie since died of pancreatic cancer, without facing any retribution.
An organiser who spoke in condition of anonymity commented the district’s silence is most callous since two of the children committed suicide as a result.
Another group of students had rallied in January at the school district office over the district’s lack of action in the case.
Back to today’s protest. The event was organised in collaboration with the South Island Social & Environmental Justice DIscussion Board, which is behind those street circle painting protests that have been carried out in the region.
The small group brandished signs and distributed leaflets to passersby at the Square, before taking their grievances to the crowded streets, walking quietly all the way to the even more crowded Legislative Assembly of British Columbia precincts.
I wondered then whether Canada Day was the best or worst day of the year for such a rally, but the crowd turned out to be surprisingly approachable, some people expressing outrage that they had never heard of such allegations against a teacher they knew, at a school their own children attended.
There are already talks of another rally coming in September. Stay tuned.
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Never take your rights for granted. Women in particular know even hard-earned ones are never far from being taken away.
Although the event was a relative success, its outcome leaves me most apprehensive. Regretfully, we had to end it early.
