KITCHENER -- A trustee with the Grand Erie District School Board has resigned following a Facebook post last week that the board said minimized the significance of Orange Shirt Day.
CTV News has learned that in a since-deleted post, Christina Speers said she chose not to wear an orange shirt or send her kids to school in an orange shirt because of the demands by various groups on public school students.
Speers added that instead of wearing an orange shirt, she would take her children to Indigenous land to help them learn about their history.
"We denounce the views expressed by Ms. Speers as they do not align with Grand Erie’s commitment to equity," an online statement from the school board read in part.
Aleria McKay, a former student who went to the school board and is from Six Nations, said she was offended by the post by Speers.
"I read that and thought, this is the kind of person who had strong opinions, but it's not coming from a place of understanding and a place of wanting to continue to learn," McKay said. "From a white settler perspective, there's always going to be room for learning and growing in terms of learning the history of Indigenous people."
"Grand Erie whole-heartedly honours Orange Shirt Day," the school board said.
CTV News reached out to Speers but did not hear back by 4:30 p.m. Monday.
