CBE quick update - Encouraging News!
We’ve heard back from the CBE and believe that they are
offering us a route that is even better than what we had expected. The CBE lawyers
told us that while the petition we put forward was deficient (although our
lawyers tell us that this position could be legally challenged), they recognize
that 4800 signatures is substantial and can’t be ignored and so they’ve offered
to allow us to go ahead and form a Committee of our choosing to discuss EVERY
detail that we have issue with. They also gave us the option to make our
presentation live to the Trustees, which we will do.
This means that our voice is guaranteed. Previously,
going through a public meeting to elect committee members would not have
guaranteed us a voice unless those opposed to the Guidelines were elected. We
knew that those supporting the Guidelines would attend the public meeting to
ensure their members were elected to the committee, thereby drowning out our
voice. The CBE’s offer to allow us to bypass a public meeting means that
our members will be able to have their say in a Committee.
Second, we were previously only going to be able to bring
forward issues that people at the public meeting voted upon. That
constraint is no longer upon us. The CBE has now told us that we have the
freedom to bring forward every issue that we deem important.
Third, while previously we would have been constrained to 4
persons and 2 CBE members, they have given us leeway to have more than 4
members and there won’t be CBE members on our Committee.
Thank you for your support and for continuing to inform
parents on this critical issue.
Encouraging news? Like making a deal with the devil. Allowing the CBE's false claim that the petition was "insufficient" to stand is a big blunder and sets a dangerous precedent that I am sure other recalcitrant boards will now use as well. What gives those who delivered the petition (two people) the right to negotiate on behalf of the thousands who signed the petition in good faith with a clear understanding what it meant according to the law. If I had signed the petition, I would now feel betrayed by the two people making this unilateral decision on behalf of the other 4798 people who had signed.
ReplyDeleteI actually agree with you. I don't feel like the CBE is dealing with us in good faith and I believe it would be a mistake to trust them. Unfortunately, it is not my call, but the decision of the one who took responsibility for the petition in the first place. I am told there are things in the works and we need to be patient.
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