New West school board can’t force trustee to resign
Posted June 22, 2023 4:04 pm.
Last Updated June 22, 2023 4:05 pm.
A New Westminster trustee who used a fake social media account to target parents, staff, and the school community is being asked to resign — but the board says it doesn’t have the power to force her to do so.
While Dee Beattie’s actions “do not represent the work” or the values of the board, it says it is bound by the School Act.
“We do not have the ability to remove a trustee under the School Act, but we’ve been very clear in our request that the Trustee make the right decision for everyone involved, and resign immediately,” a statement to CityNews from New Westminster Schools reads.
“We hope that with a little time and space to process, the Trustee will be able to make that decision soon, so that our Board can continue to move forward and focus our attention on doing the vital work of supporting students, staff and families.
“We have already completed the inquiry that was required: we determined that the shocking allegations were true, and we’ve taken the strongest action available to us in asking the Trustee to resign,” the statement continues.
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The board declined to launch an independent third-party investigation into Beattie’s behaviour, saying it already confirmed the allegations were true and has nothing further to investigate.
“As a board, we have been shaken by this news and we understand that members of our community are also shocked and disturbed. The conduct is absolutely unacceptable for anyone in elected office and do not reflect the values of the board,” school board Chair Maya Russell explained during a meeting following the allegations.
“As soon as the truth was known, as I’ve said, our board called for the trustee to resign and we continue to stand behind the request so that our board can move forward and focus on the vital work that we are doing to support students, staff, and families.”
The board first asked for Beattie’s resignation last week, after claims against the trustee came to light. Russell says the board “immediately started looking into these claims.”
The allegations were confirmed just days later. Confirmation also came in the form of a statement from Community First, a political party Beattie was a member of, which said Beattie “admitted to the conduct.”
Parent James Plett told CityNews last week that he and his wife — as well as others in the school community — were being harassed by a Twitter account under the name Allan Whitterstone. The couple believed the account had been run by Beattie.
“These messages sent under a false persona have caused harm to members of our community and they have damaged the trust that people hold in their board of education. We hold each other responsible for maintaining the highest standard of ethical conduct.”
