Professionalism policy focused on controversial Oakville Teacher’s clothing rejected by school board

After months of protests against a teacher’s controversial dress in Oakville, Ontario, the main solution put forward by the school board – a professionalism policy – has been voted down.

The Halton District School Board (HDSB) began working on a staff professionalism policy in January when Oakville Trafalgar High School teacher Kayla Lemieux, formerly Kerry Lemieux, gained international attention for wearing tight shirts over large breasts with protruding nipples – long believed to be prosthetics, though Lemieux has claimed they are real and grown with hormone treatments.

HDSB presented a draft policy on March 1 and opened it for public comment. The board voted unanimously against the policy on June 21 encounter.

Vice President Tanya Rocha said she voted against because it merges parts of pre-existing policies without providing further clarity. Her reasoning was echoed by other trustees.

“I think it’s been made abundantly clear that we have the policies, procedures and regulations that address all forms of professionalism. And when I looked at the draft policy that’s been presented, there’s really nothing new. It’s really just a summary of everything that exists, so it begs the question of do we really need this?” said Roche.

Chair Margo Shuttleworth said it would be better to focus on adding clarification to existing policies.

“Instead of creating a new document that could muddy the waters, we need to make sure the language is clear in the policies we have in place to ensure professionalism reigns in our schools,” she said.

Education director Curtis Ennis said he agrees to strengthen existing policies. “That’s something I want to do with the staff,” he said.

Ennis has said at previous meetings that a legal freeze currently in effect due to labor negotiations makes it impossible to implement any new policies. That is why the new blueprint has been cobbled together from parts of existing policy.

“This has been going on for almost 10 months and the board has achieved nothing,” Students First Ontario said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times. Students First Ontario is a group formed by Oakville Trafalgar parents to highlight the situation and call for action.

“Here we are at the end of the school year – no further than when we started.”

The group noted the cost and time spent on stakeholder surveys, policy requests and proposals. “Everything has led nowhere.”

In the meeting of 21 June, the board discussed a survey among nearly 8,700 stakeholders about the concept of a professionalism policy. About 60 percent of the respondents were parents, with the rest mostly staff and students.

Respondents found the policy “most effective” in ensuring everyone is free from discrimination and harassment in the schools. But they said it was “least effective” in its stated goal, which was to provide clarity on expectations regarding staff professionalism, including dress and decorum.

Respondents called for more clarity and specificity in monitoring and implementing staff professionalism expectations.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce has criticized the school board’s handling of the situation.

“It is unacceptable and an abdication of the school board’s responsibility for not defending and defending the best interests of children,” he said Feb. 21 in Queen’s Park, according to the Toronto Star.

Lemieux no longer teaches the school’s shop class and has been on paid leave since February.