The Mountain View School Division board was divided last night in a discussion of an old rule.
According to the Public Schools Act, "God Save The King" is to be performed as part of a school day's ceremony along with the national anthem.
This matter was a focal point of the meeting, with roughly 30 minutes of discussion on the legality of not observing this rule.
Member Jarri Thompson made it clear that she stands with her constituents, noting that she had personally received many complaints from her ward about the sudden request to observe a rule that had been ignored for 25 years.
Many board members agreed with these complaints and expressed concern about how this rule was discovered, as many board members learned about this through media sources before hearing it from the Board Chair.
There were also many questions on why this matter was brought up, as former board chair Gabe Mercier noted it is not a matter of immediate concern, and did not justify a rushed process without a discussion with the entire board.
Board Chair Jason Gryba made his stance clear that upholding the laws of the Public Schools Act is the duty of school board members, but he was willing to observe a change through due process.
Thompson motioned to research and assess "God Save The King" in schools, and suspend its use until more information was acquired.
Board member Paul Coffey noted that, under the oath sworn by trustees, violating the Public Schools Act could have repercussions under the Court of Kings bench for breaking this law, something Thompson described as a threat to a democratic vote.
The vote on this motion went ahead, despite the issue raised by Coffey.
6 of 9 board members voted to withhold the implementation of this old rule, with 2 voting against and 1 abstaining from the vote.
"God Save The King" will not be heard in MVSD Schools for now.
