FREDERICTON — New Brunswick’s education minister says his threat to dissolve school districts that don’t adhere to the province’s policy change affecting LGBTQ students also extends to francophone school boards.

Bill Hogan was asked in the legislature Wednesday why he moved to dissolve an anglophone school district that is against applying the new gender identity policy in its schools when he has not acted against francophone school districts that also oppose the policy. 

The 2023 changes to Policy 713 require students under 16 who are exploring their gender identity to have parental consent in order for teachers to use their preferred pronouns or first name at school, which was a reversal of the original policy.

The Anglophone East School District is asking a court to prevent the government from forcing it to apply the revised policy, saying in a preliminary motion filed in April that it violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as the province’s Human Rights Act and Education Act.

The school district, which oversees schools in the Moncton area, says in the filing that it chose to adopt its own guidelines, directing staff to use students’ preferred names and pronouns regardless of age.

Soon after, it says, Hogan instructed school officials to fall in line with the government’s changes and threatened to dissolve any school districts that do not adhere to the policy.

Hogan says that if francophone school districts fail to uphold the provincial directive, then he will use the powers available to him for all districts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press