A Message about Diversity
At Hants North and Kennetcook District we want our schools to be safe and welcoming for all students. We want our schools to be a place where we celebrate diversity and where everyone feels valued and respected. We don’t need to be friends with everyone but we do need to respect each other. This is what makes an awesome school!
Part of celebrating diversity is standing up to remarks or actions that are racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, or that make fun of someone’s abilities. These comments and actions will not be tolerated. These comments are attacks on someone’s identity and they are different from other things that are just mean. Things like the “f-slur” for people who are gay, saying “that’s so gay”, using the r-word to say something is stupid, using the n-word or not respecting someone’s pronouns are a few examples of attacks on identity. These words are different because they carry a history of violence and oppression. If you do use these words at school there will be consequences.
Our schools will treat these remarks as high-level behavior. Depending on the context a student will be removed from class or from the learning environment. There may be suspension and the student will need to understand the harm caused to others because of the actions. Students need to know that if they are using these types of comments, they cannot be in school. There will be out of school suspensions for people who continue to make these types of hateful comments.
We, as a school, have to make sure that everyone feels safe and welcome. We want our students here, and we will work with them, but they cannot be allowed in class or in the hallways or on the bus and speak words associated with a violent history.
At Hants North and Kennetcook District, we pledge to not ignore these comments or to downplay the harm they can cause. We want our schools to be a place where everyone feels safe and welcome for who they are and we all have a part to play to make that happen.