A Winnipeg school division’s board of trustees has accepted the resignation letter of a suspended colleague.
Francine Champagne was suspended from her role as a trustee with the Louis Riel School Division in June this year, after complaints were made regarding her social media posts that allegedly targeted the LGBTQ+ community. In a press release on June 8, the school division said the suspension was the strongest form of sanction available under the Manitoba Public Schools Act.
The release further read that “the board suspended Trustee Champagne for three months for breaching the Board Code of Conduct specific to social media use and disregarding Policy AC: Respect for Human Diversity.”
On Wednesday, Champagne provided Global News with copies of what she said were the posts in question.
They included images of memes and quotes questioning gender identity. Another post shared a link to an article alleging an agenda to sexualize children in schools.
A petition online, that began on June 15, called for Champagne’s resignation. As of Nov. 29, the petition garnered a little over 1,500 signatures.
In a subsequent press release this week, the school board division said it had received and accepted Champagne’s resignation letter. It noted the resignation was given on Nov. 27.
“Since Jun. 6, 2023, the school board has endeavoured to hold a colleague accountable for words and deeds that caused great harm to students, staff, and members of our community while also working to reassure our community of our commitment to safe and caring working and learning environments,” reads part of the release.
“The board extends appreciation to everyone in LRSD and beyond for their messages and demonstrations of support.”
In a statement received by Global News on Wednesday, Champagne said she was resigning because ‘the work environment had become unbearable.” Referring to the complaints made against her, she said she was told by the school division that her initial posts on Facebook back in May were in breach of the school board’s code of conduct.
She added that she was subjected to several unpaid suspensions. The first of these suspensions, she said, had been under an appeals process. Part of her statement reads: “The intent was made clear, which was to keep suspending me (without pay) until I surrender my beliefs.”
Champagne further said she couldn’t afford the legal fees to continue an appeals process and that her intention when coming on as a school board trustee was not to entre “a legal battle.”
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