SCHOOL'S ANSWER TO THE TRC CALLS TO ACTION
Public education needs to answer the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action by expanding far beyond wearing orange shirts on Truth and Reconciliation Day and hosting pow wows on National Indigenous People's Day.
Appropriated representation of our Indigenous, Metis and Inuit people needs to be a thing of the past! It is time for public education to reach out and consult with our Indigenous, Metis and Inuit people directly so they can actively be involved in School Board governance and policy-making.
Therefore, it is my belief that all School Boards should have an Elder's Council comprised of one Indigenous, Metis or Inuit Elder or Knowledge Keeper assigned to each School Ward who works side-by-each with its Trustee. While the Elders Council will be invited to attend all School Board meetings and public events, it will be a self-governed body able to create its own policies specific to Indigenous rights and customs.
Each Elder/Knowledge Keeper assigned to a Ward will be responsible to visit the schools in their Ward to talk about the Indigenous experience, tell their stories and teach ceremony. And should any grievance involving an Indigenous, Metis or Inuit family that ~ in the past ~ would require involving the Ward Trustee will now become the responsibility of the of the Ward Elder.
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