Parents, grandparents, and community members from throughout the Cariboo Chilcotin region joined together in a show of solidarity and co-operation to peacefully march to the grounds of School District #27 in Williams Lake. Donning pink shirts, buttons, and signs with the slogan ‘Stand Up’ and ‘Bullying and Racial Violence are no Joke’, the collective of citizens stood together to publicly ask the Minister of Education and Child Care, Lisa Beare, to respond to their calls for an investigation into bullying, harassment, discrimination, and racial violence in schools within the District.
Together, representatives from Esk’etemc First Nation and the Concerned Parents and Caregivers of Williams Lake (CPWL) group, with support from the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), shared their message symbolically in front of the School District offices to ask for equality, safety, and excellence in education for all students in the District.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, UBCIC President stated, “UBCIC was deeply disappointed by the Superintendent of School District #27’s response to a concerned group of parents, including from Esk’etemc First Nation, as a ‘small, but vocal group’. This dismissive attitude stands in blatant disregard of the concerns shared by parents, caregivers, and B.C. First Nations standing up for the rights and wellbeing of our young learners. By Resolution 2024-42, UBCIC stands alongside Esk’etemc First Nation in calling for a fulsome investigation into the allegations of racism,
discrimination, bullying, and harassment in School District #27. The parents group, Esk’etemc, and UBCIC share the same vision for every child to have the opportunity to attend school in an environment where they feel safe, supported and have a sense of belonging.”
Esk’etemc Kukpi7 Fred Robbins agreed with Grand Chief Phillip, calling on the provincial government to take action without delay.
“Every day that goes by, we hear more and more stories of children and youth, not just from our Nation of Esk’etemc, but throughout the region, who fear going to school. How terrible is that?” said Kukpi7 Robbins. “We have been asking the Ministry of Education and Child Care for an investigation for over a year now. Our last letter, sent in early January of this year, asked Minister Beare to meet with us and have a conversation to hear the concerns and the stories of our community members. Our request for that meeting has gone unanswered. This is why today was so important for us to join with UBCIC and the Concerned Parents and Caregivers of Williams Lake group to show the District and the Ministry that we’re not going away until we can collectively solve the problems in our schools.”
In September of 2024, Kukpi7 Robbins brought forward the concerning stories of Esk’etemc members to the UBCIC to ask for help. The UBCIC passed Resolution 2024-42 at their 56th Annual General Assembly calling on the Ministry of Education and Child Care to ‘address the claims of bullying, harassment, discrimination, and racism at School District #27’ as shared in testimonials and letters from Esk’etemc children, youth, families, and support staff. Instead of an investigation, a Safer Schools review was launched and the lack of communication and engagement with First Nations and community members through the region has been a big disappointment. Not long after, Esk’etemc and the CPWL group met to see how they could collaborate.
“Sadly, our group is growing, which demonstrates how many families in our School District are being negatively impacted by the racial violence, bullying, and other activities that make our kids scared to go to school,” said CPWL group member Melissa Coates. “When we met with leadership and community members from Esk’etemc, we all realized we are advocating for the same thing. This is why we planned to host this event together today, to bring attention to what we are advocating for as a group. In doing this, we hope to encourage other parents, grandparents, and caregivers who feel they and their families are alone to join us to make change in our District. Our kids are counting on us, and we cannot, and will not, let them down.”
Esk’etemc and CPWL are encouraging people to fill out an online survey to share their experiences and stories so that their voices are heard.
“We launched a confidential online survey which closely mirrored the one put out by Safer Schools,” noted Calvin Dubray, Director of Education with Esk’etemc. “Unfortunately, the Safer Schools’ survey essentially had questions that asked for ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘I don’t know’ answers and one spot at the end of the survey to share any stories or feedback. Our survey gives children, youth, and their parents or caregivers a chance to answer these questions but also share their stories and challenges. We intend to share themes from the survey results with the Minister, so she truly understands the urgency of what is happening here in our District. We’re tired of being ignored and our kids and youth are too important not to stand up for!”
For those interested in filling out the survey, it is online at: https://bit.ly/standup2025
Concerned Parents and Caregivers of Williams Lake:
If you are a concerned parent, grandparent, or student, you are invited to contact the Concerned Parents and Caregivers of Williams Lake group via email at cpcgwl@yahoo.com or on Facebook. The group is marked ‘Private’ and the page administrators are quick to respond to people asking to join.
