Chilliwack – Chilliwack School District Interm Superintendent Rohan Arul-pragasam released an open letter on racism in Chilliwack Schools and certain soical media posts. This comes on the heels of statement from the Mayors of Chilliwack, Mission and Abbotsford and in the long shadow of the death of American George Floyd in Minneapolis:
I have been made aware of recent social media posts raising issues concerning incidents of racism associated with a school in the Chilliwack School District and the response in 2018 to that matter.
I cannot, for privacy reasons, address specifically any student discipline issues arising out of that complaint. I can say that every complaint is taken seriously and that a response commensurate with the circumstances will be taken by our schools.
I fully appreciate the insidious nature of racism – the harms it causes and the scars it leaves.
I am committed, on behalf of the School District, to working to make our schools safe, welcoming and inclusive environments that do not tolerate discrimination in any form and that respect our community’s diversity.
I have reached out to the person who was the victim of the incidents described in the social media posts and hope that she will contact me so that I can more fully understand what happened, and learn what the School District can do better. It takes courage to make a statement about such a personal experience.
I hope that whenever discrimination occurs, others will follow her example so that we can all, working together, make our School District a better place.
Interim Superintendent Rohan Arul-pragasam
(604) 792-1321
rohan_arul@sd33.bc.ca
