A Durham District School Board (DDSB) trustee has raised a storm on social media with a remark over addressing school children with their preferred pronouns.
On Wednesday May 11, Linda Stone tweeted: “How many different pronouns must a teacher memorize. If 23 students all have different pronouns and the teacher gets one wrong, would that be grounds for a complaint?”
That gave birth to a raft of comments from stakeholders and teachers, mostly critical of the opinion expressed in the tweet.
On Friday, DDSB responded by saying: “It has come to our attention that an individual Trustee, Linda Stone, has made public statements on twitter. The DDSB does not monitor or maintain this account. The comments made are contrary to the commitment, values and actions of the Durham District School Board and our responsibility to promote and respect the Ontario Human Rights Code. We strive to create learning and working environments that are safe, equitable, inclusive, respectful and welcoming of all identities.
“We recognize the historical and ongoing oppression that individuals face because of systemic oppression, discrimination and racism. The District acknowledges past and current traumas and is committed to building a system that celebrates, supports, respects, affirms, and embraces the diverse identifies of students and staff,” it added.
Linda Stone responded by saying: “My bio states my opinions, comments, views are my own. I would not want to disparage the great work, while not perfect, the DDSB does. I need to feel free to voice my own opinion and continue in conversations that heal and engage one another. After Monday things will change.”
We are looking forward to today (Monday).