York Catholic District School Board once again heard a request to fly the Pride Flag in June but did not indicate if that might happen.
The school board allowed area lawyer and educator Paolo De Buono to make a delegation on the subject to trustees April 30. De Buono pushed for the flag to fly at the board headquarters and all schools during Pride month, something the board has refused to do in recent years.
“Now is the time,” De Buono said to trustees. “Inclusion improves learning because students feel more welcome and safe in a school board that outwardly, in the form of the Pride flag, displays the intention to be 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive.”
The board faced significant controversy last year after refusing to fly the Pride flag, despite other public Catholic and non-denominational school boards in the GTA doing so. Over several months, those for and against the idea presented to trustees about the concept, as well as the safe space stickers at some schools.
“Approximately a year ago today, York Catholic students, delegates and student trustees, they spoke clearly to you about the positive benefit for students, especially 2SLGBTQIA+ students, if York Catholic were to fly the Pride Flag,” De Buono said. “Now is the time to act.”
De Buono suggested a procedural motion asking staff to report on the idea at the May board meeting, when trustees could vote to fly the Pride flag for June.
But trustees did not address the idea, or ask any questions of De Buono. The board has also not given any other public indication that Pride flags could fly in June.
The board gave consideration last January to a motion from trustee Frank Alexander that would ban almost all flags on school premises, except for papal, national, provincial and municipal ones. The motion initially referenced “disunity over the flying of flags” but the board ultimately directed that to the committee level for legal analysis.
Meanwhile, the board did have a discussion about the concept of distributing stickers meant to promote a sense of equality and belonging. Stemming from another motion from Frank Alexander, trustees considered the purchase of promotional materials with the message “We are diverse. We are one in Christ.”
Stickers with that have already been purchased and distributed through schools, though trustees voted to allocate $25,000 from within the existing budget to add more materials like banners with that message to schools.
De Buono said he knows the flag would not solve all systemic discrimination, but it would be a positive step.
“The Pride flag is a significant step toward making York Region a much safer and more inclusive place for York Catholic students,” he said.
