Hanover School Division board decision raises concerns among parents over mature minor healthcare

Hanover School Division passed a controversial motion allowing parents to exert more control over their children in school buildings. Joseph Bernacki explains.

A recently passed motion by the Hanover School Division board of trustees is generating controversy in the City of Steinbach.

The motion gives parents greater control over their children’s healthcare and counselling in school—even when those students are considered mature minors.

“It’s gross overreach at the very least,” said Jane Wilson, a spokesperson for the Hanover Parents’ Alliance for Diversity and a division parent.

“The purpose, the objective of a school board is to provide direction for the education and the safety of students.”

Wilson said the motion makes parents the primary decision-makers in school buildings, stripping students of their ability to make their own health choices.

“Whether vaccination or any other medications for any purpose,” she said.

Passed at the beginning of June, the motion states the mature minor category will not be honoured in division schools. A mature minor is a 16- or 17-year-old considered capable of making decisions for themselves.

Hanover board chair Dallas Wiebe declined an interview but provided a written statement.

“The board has heard concerns from parents regarding trust, communication, and transparency, and believes these principles are important to maintaining public confidence in education,” read the statement in part.

“A policy will be developed with these principles in mind to provide clear guidance and strengthen public confidence in education.”

Wilson said the motion drives a wedge between teachers and students, noting that not every young person has a safe home environment or a parent they feel they can trust.

“I recognize that there still may be things, as good as our relationship is, that they don’t feel comfortable coming to me,” she said.

The decision has drawn support from some parents on social media. CTV News reached out to a number of them for comment, but none agreed to an interview or responded by deadline.

The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth also weighed in, with a spokesperson saying the division’s motion goes against established law.

“The Hanover School Division’s motion to override young people’s ability to make health care decisions completely ignores their rights. It is also in opposition of The Health Care Directives Act and The Public Schools Act.”

CTV News reached out to Tracy Schmidt, minister of education and early childhood learning, for comment.

Schmidt said her department met with the Hanover School Division board this week and is currently reviewing the policy.

“My message was that trustees have a responsibility to ensure their policies make every student safe and feel included in school, and we discussed the importance of having educational experts at the table when resources are being reviewed,” she said.

“My department is currently reviewing the policy, and we will be following up with the board.”