By Richard Leitner, News Staff

In what one calls “an extremely strange message,” Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board trustees are withholding their signature for now on a new local charter of rights for parents.

Developed by Hamilton Best Start, an anti-poverty community initiative whose goal is to make the city “the best place to raise a child,” the charter sets out seven broad rights.

These include the right to respect, to information, to be heard, to assistance, to be involved, to safety and security, and to appeal decisions.

But several trustees say they’re concerned about unforeseen consequences if the charter is taken at face value, rejecting a recommendation from their own parental involvement committee to endorse the document as is.

Mountain trustee Lillian Orban said although she likes the charter’s spirit, she’s worried some parents will use it to try to get rid of a teacher or principal they don’t like, rather than work out a problem in a peaceful, respectful way.

“It’s very important for me to have parties listen to each other, try to come to some solution and always remember what’s at stake here, and that is the kid,” she said.

“We all have responsibilities and rights in the education of our children. We all do – the teacher, the parent, the principal, the board. To me, it can’t be one-sided.”

During a 45-minute debate last week, others questioned the charter’s lengthier list of sub-rights, like ones to be treated equally and have timely access to supports and services.

Mountain trustee Laura Peddle suggested the board first assess the potential implications, including on the budget if, for example, it is interpreted as guaranteeing access to educational assistants.

Flamborough trustee Karen Turkstra wondered if the commitment to equal treatment could lead to a challenge of special consideration given to larger families on the cost of school activities.

But Judith Bishop, trustee for wards 1 and 2, said not endorsing the charter sends “an extremely strange message” to the parental involvement committee, which helped develop it over the past two years.

She noted Hamilton councillors have already signed on.

“I think people are misunderstanding the purpose of this document. It’s a high-level document, as we also have in this community a charter of children’s rights, which is never used and never referred to,” Bishop said.

“The intent is to use this document to further the ways in which we can work better with each other.”

After a motion to endorse the charter failed on a tied vote, trustees agreed to refer the document to their policy subcommittee for more study.

“I hope we’ll see it back in one form,” chair Tim Simmons said. “Charters are really designed at a high level. They’re about protecting citizens against arbitrary decisions of government or government intrusion.”