A Coquitlam teacher has been suspended for 15 days for handing out pamphlets opposing provincial education system sexual orientation and gender identity guidelines – also called SOGI.
The B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation found elementary teacher Dori Waldene Hannibal spoke with a Parent Advisory Council member at the school June 18, 2019and gave the parent some pamphlets from a group called Parents United Canada that included the phrase “Stop SOGI 123” to hand out at the meeting.
“When Hannibal spoke with the member of the Parent Advisory Committee, she also made inflammatory comments about the content and nature of the SOGI curriculum, including that it is harmful to students,” Commissioner Howard Kushner said in his April 8 decision released April 28.
In October 2019, the school district suspended Hannibal for her behaviour, and other behaviour found in its investigation. She was suspended without pay for 15 days.
“Hannibal’s statements about SOGI and her conduct in giving the pamphlets to a member of the Parent Advisory Committee were contrary to the policy of the district and Ministry of Education,” Kushner said.
Kushner’s decision said Hannibal agreed her behaviour constituted professional misconduct and agreed to a one-day suspension of her certificate of qualification.
Hannibal was told to take the Justice Institute course Creating a Positive Learning Environment.
Parents United Canada was launched by conservative Fraser Valley activist Kari Simpson, also founded the anti–SOGI 123 group Culture Guard.
She was most recently in the news when B.C.’s Human Rights Tribunal has dismissed her complaint that Langley’s flying of an LGBTQ+ rainbow flag is discriminatory.
Simpson said it discriminated against her on the bases of accommodation, service and facility on the basis of religion, sexual identity and gender identity or expression.
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