Over the last two months, students have been dealing with the pressure and complications that have come with the teacher strikes and labor negotiations.
They have had their basic right to learn dismissed on multiple occasions and now they are taking their rights into their own hands, by creating a Canadian Charter of Learners’ Rights.
FCSS Website
The Federation of Canadian Secondary Students (FCSS) have come together to construct a charter of rights, that they believe should be respected by the government and school boards all across Canada.
Eleanor Park is a grade 12 student at A.B Lucas Secondary School, she is also the Executive Director for the FCSS. She says all the information in the charter has been acquired over the last four years, after major talks with the Ministry of Education and a wide variety of student stakeholders.
” This document is a result of many years of dedicated students who had one sole objective of advancing the rights of students in Canada.”
Park says the charter has five key elements, and unfortunately Fundamentals are at the top of the list:
- Fundamental
- Accessibility
- Equality
- Fair Standards
- Utility
Each element listed above has a definition and outline of what is expected from the government and school boards, you can find it on the FCSS website.
The objective of this charter is to protect students basic rights, and make those accountable when their rights are not being met.
Park says the conference is a step in getting the provincial government to adopt the charter, and she invites the public to be apart of the process and help give students a voice.
