December 10, 2020

Hon. Jennifer Whiteside

Minister of Education
PO Box 9045, Stn. Prov Govt
Victoria, BC
V8W 9E2

Dear Minister Whiteside,

We would first like to welcome you to your new role as our Education Minister, we look forward to
working with you towards the betterment of all students in British Columbia.

As the legislated voice of parents in School District 33, Chilliwack District Parent Advisory (DPAC) is
writing to you today to voice our ongoing frustration and concerns with regards to our current Board of
Education.

On May 15th, 2020 we wrote to Hon. Rob Fleming asking that he use his capacity as the Minister of
Education to appoint a Special Advisor as outlined in Sec. 171.1 of the School Act. In a response received
from Minister Fleming we were assured that while our request was not granted at that time, the
Minister was fully aware of the challenges we were faced with and would be monitoring the situation.

In the six months since we initially reached out, our Board remains in a constant state of turmoil. While
there are trustees that are trying to move the Board forward in a positive direction, the reality is that we
have several others that undermine any progress and all efforts to function as a governing authority over
education for all in our district. The constant negative attention our district receives in the media
combined with the theatrics displayed during our public board meetings distract from the positive things
that are in fact happening within our district. The parent voices that are trying to address relevant issues
related to education are largely not being heard by the Board, often met with no response or become a
lesser priority to the frequent conflict within the Board.

The pandemic has brought about increasing pressures to identify resources as never before seen. We
are concerned with the District’s ability to address relevant issues related to education and provide a
safe environment for our kids as seen in the article “British Columbia School Trustee Claims "Fear of
Covid" Greatly Exaggerated By Government and Media.”

There is also concern with the ability to recruit staff to our wonderful community as needed when Board
members have targeted our local Chilliwack Teachers Union. Please see the article, “Chilliwack trustee
responds to teachers' call for censure.”

We have included links to the most recent events showing both the offensive and unacceptable ableist
language involving two of our trustees. Two members attacked and degraded members of our school

1
community, as seen in the Chilliwack Progress - Nov. 25, 2020. This resulted in additional punitive
measures by other board members, and can be viewed in the Chilliwack Progress - Nov 25, 2020.

Please also see this interview of the Early Edition with Stephen Quinn and Board Chair Willow Reichelt.
When asked about the ability of the Board to function in this controversial environment Reichelt was
quoted as saying “It’s very difficult, we are constantly being distracted by this kind of behaviour and it
makes it really hard to focus on all the wonderful things that are actually happening in our district. It
makes it hard to focus even at Board meetings on the things we are supposed to be talking about and
thinking about.” CBC Listen Live - 2:19

While our preference would be to remove the individual trustees that are in direct violation of
numerous Board policies, we realize that the school act does not supply such a remedy at this time.
DPAC also understands that any forthcoming legislation that would amend the school act would not be
done in a timely enough manner to address the current situation in our district.

We appreciate and recognize all the additional duties that have been taken on by those trustees that
have stepped up to do the work others who have either refused, or are unable to do due to censures,
however, this has resulted in an imbalance and unfairness to all trustees. At this time, we feel that any
other remedy would not bring about the collaborative changes that need to happen.

At our most recent meeting December 10th, 2020 our parent membership see no other alternative and
have voted to request that the Minister of Education dismiss the full Board of Education in School
District 33.

Sincerely,

Michelle McGrath
Chair
Chilliwack District Parent Advisory Council
SD #33, Chilliwack

Enclosures

2
May 12, 2020

Hon. Rob Fleming

Minister of Education
PO Box 9045, Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC
V8W 9E2

Dear Minister Fleming,

As the legislated voice of parents in School District 33, Chilliwack DPAC is writing to you today to voice
our continued frustration and concern with regards to our current Board of Education.

In light of the most recent public actions of a sitting member of the board, it is clear to us that this board
is unable to enforce its own policies and guidelines (Policy 205 - Code of Ethics for Trustees, Policy 605 -
Technology Use, and the Acceptable Use Agreement attached to this letter)

There has been a consistent attack by members of our Board towards community members who are
protected under both the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Human Rights Code of
British Columbia. We are speaking out on behalf of everyone in our community who is affected by the
opinions and actions of these Board Members who have been placed in a position to uphold these laws
and values.

Recently, Chilliwack Teachers Association issued a vote of non-confidence towards this Board and we
would like to echo some of their concerns. A major concern is the recent vote to reject the upcoming
2020/2021 Calendar and the desire to litigate this issue that had been resolved with binding arbitration.
The fiscal irresponsibility is concerning as there appears to be a willingness to put an unjustified strain
on our district budget. We are also in agreeance with the “apparent inability of this Board to work
together for the good of our Chilliwack students.”

DPAC is requesting that the Minister appoint a Special Advisor or Special Advisory Committee as
outlined in the School Act Sec 171.1.
It is essential that we have a cohesive board that follows the guidelines set out by the Minister of
Education, but it is of utmost importance, especially during an ongoing pandemic, that correct and
accurate information is shared in our communities for the safety of our families, staff, and working
partners.

We thank you for your immediate attention to this matter and look forward to an expedited outcome.

Sincerely,

Diane Braun
Chair
Chilliwack District Parent Advisory Council

Enclosures
 BOARD OF EDUCATION
School District #33 (Chilliwack)

205
POLICY
Code of Ethics for Trustees

As a Board of Education Member I will:

1. Listen.

2. Respect the opinion of others.

3. Recognize the integrity of my predecessors and associates and the merit

of their work.

4. Make no remarks, in or out of the Board meetings, that disparage other

members of the Board, employees of the district or recognized partner
groups.

5. Express my honest and most thoughtful opinions frankly in Board

meetings.

6. Participate fully in Board action.

7. Respect majority decisions of the Board.

8. Respect the confidential business of the Board.

9. Consider myself a trustee of public education and do my best to protect it,

conserve it and advance it, giving to my community educational
opportunities that are as complete and adequate as possible.

10. Consider it an important responsibility of the Board to set and interpret the
school district aims and attitudes to the community.

11. Earnestly try to interpret the needs and attitudes of the community.

12. Advocate for adequate financial support for the district.

Cross Refs:

Adopted: January 22, 1991

Reviewed:
Revised: August 3, 2000, January 15, 2008, April 30, 2019
13. Represent the entire District rather than individual electors, patrons or
groups.

14. Not use the schools or any part of the school program for my own
personal advantage, or for the advantage of my friends or supporters.

15. Ensure that I do not share, verbally or through email or social media, any
inappropriate or unwelcome content related to a prohibited ground of
discrimination as set out in the Human Rights Code.

Code of Ethics Sanctions:

16. A breach of confidentiality of Board business or a disclosure of confidential

information from a Committee of the Whole or In-Camera board meeting
may result in the imposition of sanctions on the offending trustee.
Sanctions may include the issuance of a censure, a removal from
committees and exclusion from meetings or such other sanction as the
Board considers appropriate.

17. Prior to imposing sanctions, the Board will ensure it follows a fair process,
including due notice of the alleged misconduct and a fair opportunity to
respond.

18. A concern over alleged breach of confidentiality or breach of the Code of

Ethics for Trustees may be raised by an individual Trustee, the
Superintendent of Schools or the Secretary-Treasurer at an in camera
meeting of the Board.

19. If the Board concludes, by majority vote, that a breach of confidentiality or

other breach of the Code of Ethics for Trustees may have occurred, the
Board may direct the conduct of an investigation. For that purpose, the
Board may direct the Secretary-Treasurer to retain an independent
investigator for the purposes of determining whether a breach of
confidentiality or other breach of the Code of Ethics for Trustees occurred
and by whom.

20. The Independent investigator shall conduct an investigation and submit a

report of findings to the Board Chair and the Superintendent of Schools.

21. The Board Chair shall present the report of the independent investigator at
an in camera meeting of the Board. If the report concludes that a breach
of confidentiality or other breach of the Code of Ethics for Trustees has
occurred, the Trustee or Trustees responsible shall be provided the
opportunity to provide any further relevant information to the Board prior to
the Board’s deliberation.

Policy 205 – Code of Ethics for Trustees Page 2

22. The Trustee or Trustees who are the subject the alleged breach of
confidentiality or breach of the Code of Ethics for Trustees shall not
participate in any deliberations with respect to the matter nor shall they
remain in the room while the matter is debated.

Policy 205 – Code of Ethics for Trustees Page 3

 BOARD OF EDUCATION
School District #33 (Chilliwack)

POLICY 605
Technology Use

The Board of Education believes that student, staff and community learning are
supported by access to online learning resources and communication tools
through the use of district and personal technology. It is committed to providing a
reliable infrastructure that supports communication and learning.

The Board supports a technology plan that provides a standard of technology for
all schools and provides opportunities for innovation and staff development in the
use of technology to enhance student learning.

The Board of Education expects all users of district technology to adhere to the
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA) as well as the
district guidelines regarding use of technology and social media.

Cross Refs: Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, AR 605.2 Social Media

Adopted: March 8, 2011

Reviewed:
Revised: February 23, 2016
 Chilliwack School District
Acceptable Use Agreement

The Board of Education of Chilliwack School District embraces the use of information technology and
the Internet in providing powerful tools for personalized learning. These tools offer staff and students a
rich variety of communication, information, and resource opportunities to use within the K-12
educational framework. In addition, the developing availability of mobile technology devices within
Chilliwack School District offers unique possibilities for individualized learning. To this end, information
technology has been provided within the school district to facilitate safe, ethical, and appropriate use by
staff and students. The Board of Education of Chilliwack School District is committed to providing
access to information technology such as the Internet in an approach that balances resources, access,
safety, and security to ensure the highest availability of the limited facilities as possible.

A. Procedures & Acceptable Use

 Use is acceptable when it is legal, ethical and upholds the goals and standards of the
Chilliwack School District, and when it respects the rights of other users and considers the
impact of their conduct on others.
 Access to Chilliwack School District information technology is only made available so long
as the user complies with the Acceptable Use Agreement (AUA).
 The District Technology Department on behalf of the Superintendent of Schools will
determine what is deemed inappropriate use as per the Acceptable Use Agreement, and
report any infractions to the appropriate supervisor for action.
 This Acceptable Use Agreement is applicable to all students and staff of the Chilliwack School
District.

B. Educational Focus
 Information technology provided by Chilliwack School District is intended for educational and
operational uses.
 Use is acceptable when it is consistent with the goals of the Chilliwack School District, and
when it respects the rights of other users and considers the impact of their conduct on others.

C. Access to Resources
 The use of the Chilliwack School District information technology resources is a privilege.
 Information technology use that violates or attempts to violate, the security of the system,
terminate or impede network or computing resource access, or subvert or attempts to subvert
other systems is prohibited.
 Students may access Chilliwack School District information technology when specifically
authorized by school district staff.
 The Chilliwack School District may limit the use of district information technology resources to
balance availability with need.
 The Chilliwack School District may examine network accounts at any time without notice to the
account holder to ensure compliance with district policies.
D. Personal / Mobile Devices
 Personal or mobile devices are allowed to access Chilliwack School District information
technology resources unless the device has not been approved for use by the district.
 Student personal or mobile devices are allowed to be used on the Chilliwack School District
network unless not permitted to do so by district staff.
 Personal or mobile devices, whether owned by student or district and connected to Chilliwack
School District information technology resources, must be used in compliance with all parts of
the Chilliwack School District Acceptable Use Agreement.
 Personal or mobile device access to Chilliwack School District information technology resources
may be limited to balance availability with need at the discretion of the district.

E. Social Networking
 Students may only post content within the rules and restrictions put in place by a school or
teacher, or by government legislation such as the British Columbia Freedom of Information and
Personal Privacy Act (FOIPPA).
 Students may not post or send any personal information that may be damaging, threatening or
dangerous to themselves or to others.
 Staff members choosing to use internet-based tools to share and collaborate are required to
adhere to “SD#33 Social Media Regulation” documentation.

F. Privacy / Safety
 Users are prohibited from sharing their passwords with any other user, or permitting others to
use their access accounts. Account holders are responsible for all activity within their account.
 Use of the Chilliwack School District information technologies is neither private nor confidential,
and may be monitored or reviewed by the Chilliwack School District without prior notice.
 Users must be aware of and actively protect their own personal safety while using the Chilliwack
School District information technology.

G. Copyright / Fair Use / Plagiarism

 When accessing and using information from Internet, users must not engage in any forms of
plagiarism.
 Users must respect all copyright laws that protect intellectual property such as software, artistic
work and writing.
 Users must observe and respect materials provided for “fair use” by copyright owners.
H. Limitations
 The Chilliwack School District makes no guarantees about the service it is providing and the
School District will not be responsible for any damages that may be incurred.
 The Chilliwack School District is not responsible for the accuracy or quality of information
obtained through district information technology.
 Account holders are responsible for all activity within their accounts.
 In addition to all components of this Acceptable Use Agreement, all Canadian laws or school
rules must also be observed and respected.
 Interpretation, application, and modification of this Acceptable Use Agreement shall be within
the sole discretion of Chilliwack School District.

I. Possible Consequences of Unacceptable Use

 Loss of information technology access privileges.
 Disciplinary action through either school or district code of conduct.
 Financial liability for damaged equipment.

This Acceptable Use Agreement functions concurrently (at the same time) as other enforced
Acceptable Use procedures. In no way does this Chilliwack School District Acceptable Use Agreement
override, circumvent, or negate any other school or district acceptable use procedures

This Acceptable Use Agreement shall be interpreted, construed and enforced in all respects in
accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia. Each party irrevocably consents to the
jurisdiction of the courts of the Province of British Columbia, in connection with any action to enforce
the provisions of the Acceptable Use Agreement, to recover damages or other relief for breach or
default under the Acceptable Use Agreement, or otherwise arising under or by reason of the
Acceptable Use Agreement. The Chilliwack School District reserves the right as final authority on all
aspects of the use of district information technology.

June 14, 2014