Red Deer Catholic School Trustee Facing Hearing After Disqualification Due to Social Media Posts
A court hearing is scheduled for May involving an Alberta Catholic school board trustee who is challenging her forced resignation due to social media posts criticizing gender ideology.
In November 2023, Monique LaGrange was disqualified by the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) for not complying with sanctions imposed on her because of her social media activity.
The sanctions, issued on September 26, 2023, included sensitivity training, a ban on public statements or media interactions, and a prohibition on representing the board officially.
Prior to the sanctions, Ms. LaGrange had been interviewed by media outlets, but the stories weren’t published until after September 26, leading the board to claim she violated the sanctions.
“As the Chair of the RDCRS Board of Trustees, I affirm our commitment to creating a safe, caring, and inclusive learning environment for our community,” a statement from board chair Murray Hollman on November 14, 2023 said. “Regrettably, due to Trustee LaGrange’s violations and additional breaches, the Board had to disqualify her.”
Ms. LaGrange’s lawyer, James Kitchen, filed two judicial reviews challenging the RDCRS actions, claiming the decisions were invalid.
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One of the social media posts that led to the sanctions depicted school children holding pride flags next to children holding swastika flags, with the caption ‘Brainwashing is brainwashing’ on an August 27 Facebook post.
“The Applicant believed the post succinctly addressed a troubling issue both politically and spiritually,” Mr. Kitchen wrote in his legal brief. “It’s viewed as brainwashing to have young children wave flags representing a complex ideology they cannot fully comprehend.”
He mentioned that Ms. LaGrange received supportive comments but also faced criticism from others.
On September 5, 2023, the board decided to request the removal of Ms. LaGrange as trustee from Alberta’s education minister. This decision came after a meeting where she was given a chance to apologize on September 7 but chose not to, believing she did nothing wrong.
Mr. Kitchen argued that the board’s actions, including passing judgment before conducting a hearing, did not adhere to its code of conduct.
“The Board made an irreversible procedural error, and its decision should be nullified on this basis alone,” the document stated.
He also alleged that the board showed bias by prejudging Ms. LaGrange.
“Despite claiming to have an open mind, the Board was ready to impose the strictest penalty without a formal complaint or hearing,” he wrote.
The document highlighted that Ms. LaGrange was a trustee in a school division with Roman Catholic values.
“Denying that the applicant’s understanding of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is based on a clear interpretation is misleading. The Catechism is unambiguous,” the document emphasized.
The Epoch Times attempted to contact the board but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Ms. LaGrange aims to challenge the decision and be reinstated.
The hearings for both applications are set for May 1-3 and can be viewed online via The Democracy Fund website.
