Any time the words “public school system” and “trans” anything are used in the same sentence these days, there’s a good chance raucous protest groups will show up at a school board meeting.
Schools, Lecce said in April, “need to be emphasizing and focusing on strengthening skills that matter to parents.” In the short time he has been in charge of the Ontario Ministry of Education, Lecce authored the Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, 2023, which he says “is sending a clear signal to school boards that academic achievement is the priority.”
Reaction was not long in coming. On June 8, 2023, the Elementary Teachers’ Association of Ontario issued a statement saying that, “despite strong opposition from education stakeholders, the Ontario government pushed through legislation that sets public education back decades, undermines student outcomes, diminishes accountability and transparency, and lays the groundwork for further privatization of public education.
Other concerns include the ministry’s new ability to assign “support personnel” to the boards, changes to the role of the integrity commissioner, and new powers for the minister to set provincial priorities for student achievement and require school boards to report publicly on how they’re doing.