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Chilliwack DPAC chair allegedly threatened amid heated LGBTQ policy debate

Click to play video: 'Controversy over comments from Chilliwack school trustee'
Controversy over comments from Chilliwack school trustee
WATCH: Chilliwack trustee Barry Neufeld faces call from parents’ group to resign – Oct 24, 2017

The organization representing parents of Chilliwack schoolchildren is raising concerns after its chairperson was allegedly singled out by an elected member of the school board.

Chilliwack District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) chair Justine Hodge says she has been threatened after board Trustee Barry Neufeld wrote an email to followers asking them to push back in the wake of the group’s call for his resignation.

Neufeld has been in the spotlight in the wake of a series of comments regarding the province’s “SOGI 123” LGBTQ curriculum, which included him comparing gender transitioning to child abuse.

WATCH: Chilliwack school trustee repeats criticism of LGBTQ curriculum

Click to play video: 'Chilliwack school trustee repeats criticism of LGBTQ curriculum'
Chilliwack school trustee repeats criticism of LGBTQ curriculum

Neufeld later apologized to people who felt “hurt” by his opinion, but resumed his controversial posts on social media, up to his recent email to supporters, which one parent says “has reached multiple religious extremist groups, including an international group.”

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“Some of the e-mails [to Hodge] were pretty horrendous, and a lot of hate speech against LGBT families. And Justine had to go to the police. So an RCMP file has been opened. It’s been rather horrendous,” said parents’ advocate Constance Carriere-Prill.

Global News contacted the Chilliwack RCMP, but has been unable to verify if it is investigating the alleged threats.

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WATCH: Backlash after school trustee criticizes LGBTQ program

Click to play video: 'Backlash after school trustee criticizes LGBTQ program'
Backlash after school trustee criticizes LGBTQ program

Carriere-Prill said Neufeld is spreading misinformation to his followers, including claims regarding the number of Chilliwack students who have gender dysphoria.

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“I don’t believe for one second that he actually has access to that information,” she said.

“But I think what’s even scarier is that he’s simply making it up to try and make his case, because that information is not something a school board would even have access to. Parents would never provide that to a school board.”

In an email, Neufeld disputed whether threats were made, but said the debate had touched a nerve in the community.

“I would like to know what she considers threats. After she received about 15 emails, she went to the RCMP, but they did not see anything illegal. Some people feel very strongly about this and use emotionally charged words to describe it,” he wrote.

Neufeld added that Hodge’s email and office address are publicly available on the school district’s website.

He further criticized the DPAC’s call for his resignation, arguing that the group only represents about half of Chilliwack’s schools, and that issues of discipline or suspension should have been dealt with through private, official channels, not via the media.

-With files from Charmaine de Silva

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