Snitches don’t get stitches at School District 53.
While teachers who blow the whistle on wrongdoing never had to worry about retaliation within the local district, the school board is putting those assurances in writing.
“If an employee files a report or raises a concern under (the whistleblower) policy, the district will not retaliate against him or her in any manner, including dismissal or demotion, because of reporting,” reads the new regulation.
Asked if junior teachers might feel intimidated about coming forward to launch a complaint about a colleague with tenure, secretary treasurer Lynda Minnabarriet said she doesn’t believe so.
“If somebody is concerned, they should feel comfortable approaching another teacher or supervisor,” she said.
There have been no issues involving tattletale-retaliation at SD53 in the past and disciplining a whistleblower isn’t something the board would have done, she said.
Nonetheless, it was important to have their values clearly articulated on their official policy, she said.
The suggestion to draft the policy came from the provincial Auditor General’s office, which recommended a whistleblower policy as a “best practice” for all government organizations.
However, whistleblowers lose their immunity if the information isn’t reported in good faith.
At the end of each school year, any actions taken under the policy will be presented to the board at an in-camera meeting.
DAN WALTON
Regional Reporter
