Ontario's education minister says the province has "strengthened the requirements" for school boards on being inclusive and will contact the Halton Catholic school board after trustees voted against updating an anti-bullying policy over concerns about mentioning sexual orientation and gender identity.

"Gender identity and gender expression are now included as prohibited grounds of discrimination under the Ontario Human Rights Code,” Liz Sandals said in a statement emailed to the Star. “We will be reaching out to the board to discuss this matter,” she said.

"Our schools must be places where everyone — staff, students, parents and the community — feels welcome, safe and respected."

Sandals' comments come as the board faces widespread criticism for a 4-3 vote against accepting the new policy — from other provincial politicians, but also its own chair.

“What needs to be made clear is that none of these changes are groundbreaking; they are all outlined in provincial statute — the only thing that is groundbreaking is the incredible foot-dragging that is taking place, to bring them into effect,” board chair Jane Michael said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the trustee who raised concerns said he believes the current policy works, and that he questioned whether, under the proposed revisions, students might find themselves in trouble for expressing their religious beliefs.

Anthony Quinn said he did not attend the committee meeting where the revised policy, which follows the Education Act as well as Ontario’s Human Rights Code, was passed unanimously.

But at last week’s board meeting, where it came for a final vote, he said he needed more information than staff or the chair were able to provide.

In an email to the Star, Quinn said his main concern was “if in their profession of the teachings of the Catholic Church (found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or the teaching of the recent Popes, including Francis, Benedict and John Paul II) if a student or group of students were to cause another student or group of students to feel unsafe or unaccepted in the school environment, that could lead to the student(s) reciting Catholic teaching being subject to discipline under the revised policy, as it was written."

He said the updated policy "left me wondering what could happen when students have disagreements on issues of sexual morality? ... Could the teachings of the Catholic faith and the verbal expression of those teachings cause students to be disciplined if they led to another student not feeling safe or welcomed?"

In general terms, the Catholic Church distinguishes between the person and what it considers sinful behaviour, meaning it doesn’t condemn someone who is gay, but doesn’t condone homosexual acts.

While Quinn was told the policy “had been vetted by a lawyer, I decided to vote against the policy revisions, content that the current policy protected all students in a very broad and inclusive manner, including the specific references to gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation and provided strict and progressive discipline to any student in contravention of our policy.”

Michael has said the Ministry of Education was waiting for the vote, given that the Halton Catholic board has had these revisions in the works since February, and is behind other boards in passing such a policy.

Michael and the ministry had both expected it to pass, since the updated version follows provincial laws and policies. However, it lost on a 4-3 vote. She and other supporters have said it will have to be approved, eventually, as written.

Outrage over the board’s decision came from many outside the board as well, including provincial Environment Minister Glen Murray, one of Canada’s first openly gay politicians.

“All of us are sad when we see boards not responding to basic respect and safety of kids in schools,” Murray said Wednesday.

“As a kid who grew up out and gay I certainly had my share of bullying … I’m a parent and a grandparent, and we all want to send our kids to schools where they feel safe and, whatever their difference is, they’re not subject to bullying,” he said.

“I hope the board would … respect the law and understand the law.”

NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo (Parkdale-High Park), an ordained United Church minister and longtime champion of LGBTQ rights, said the board’s move is outrageous.

“It’s distressing because we’re talking about children who are at risk — the highest rates of suicide are for trans and LGBTQ kids,” said DiNovo.

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“The very good people at the Ontario English Catholic Teachers (Association) have done phenomenal work on this, and this is not Roman Catholic teaching, this is not Christian teaching, and this is not the law,” she said.

“So they’re breaking all of those.”

DiNovo said the safety of students is paramount, and strongly urged the trustees to abide by provincial law.

“Children are at great risk in our schools, and they need adults to stand up for them.”