New Brunswick Education Minister Bill Hogan has begun the formal process to dissolve the Anglophone East District Education Council (DEC).
Hogan first threatened the move in May, calling on the DEC to drop a legal challenge of the province’s revisions to Policy 713. In an order in council dated May 9, Hogan was given clearance by cabinet to apply to the Court of King’s Bench to dissolve the DEC.
A spokesperson for the province confirmed an application will be filed soon. Hogan was not made available for an interview.
Hogan has argued that the DEC is spending operational funding on the legal case, while DEC membership say they are using the funds to protect the best interest of children in the Anglophone East school district.
Anglophone East DEC chair Harry Doyle said he wasn’t surprised to hear the process has begun, but was disappointed the situation has reached this point.
“I think we represent the community and the kids and that’s where we’ve been all along,” he said in an interview.
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Doyle said that he hadn’t received any notice from the minister that they would begin the process. A court records search shows that the province has yet to file an application to begin the legal dissolution process.
Doyle has served on the DEC since 2008 and said his first priority has always been looking out for the best interests of students.
“I’m not going to be sad to leave but I’m going to be sad because I think the kids won’t be looked after if we can’t do what we’ve been trying to do for quite a while,” he said.
The provincial government revised Policy 713 last year in order to require parental consent for students under 16 to informally use a different name or pronoun in the learning environment that is different from their birth gender.
Several school districts have adopted policies that restore the original wording.
In a statement the DEC says that they have not received notice that the minister has filed an application with the Court of King’s Bench and says it remains fully operational.
“The DEC remains fully operational and committed to its mandate of serving the students, parents, and educators within the district,” the statement reads.
“The DEC will continue to protect and defend the interests of its constituents and ensure that the voices of the community it represents are heard.”
The policy is also subject to an ongoing judicial review and Charter challenge filed by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, which argues the new policy infringes on the Education Act and student’s Charter rights.
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