The Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District has barred a mother from entering school property after officials said she posted material on Facebook that put a staff member at risk and violated district policies.Bryony Dixon, whose son attends a local middle school, shared a photo on Facebook on Sept. 2 of a teacher wearing a transgender pride flag shirt..In her post, Dixon criticized the symbol and linked it to a recent school shooting in Minneapolis, prompting concern from the district that her comments could incite violence against staff.“Who wants to wager that this State “educator” will be filling student heads full of divisive, radicalizing, and pseudoscientific grievance narratives all year?” Dixon said.“It just makes my skin crawl, this whole idea that these propaganda symbols are being shoved down our kids’ throats,” she told the Western Standard.“I thought the timing of that was so insensitive, so I wanted to say something about this. I didn't identify the individual... it could be any teacher. I didn't say anything about anyone's gender identity. I'm talking about the flag and the ideology.”.In a letter dated the same day, Assistant Superintendent Jacquie Poulin warned Dixon that her post was “contrary to the Human Rights Code of British Columbia, and likely constitutes bullying and harassment,” while also posing a risk to staff safety.The letter referenced the district’s Policy 105, which emphasizes that “a learning environment that reflects diversity, inclusivity, and equity is essential in supporting the highest levels of individual growth and achievement.” Dixon was directed to remove the post and refrain from sharing similar content.Poulin cautioned that failure to do so could lead to an exclusion order under Section 177 of the School Act, which empowers administrators to bar individuals from school grounds if their actions threaten safety or lead to disruption.Dixon refused to take down the post, arguing in an email that she had not identified the teacher and was raising concerns about what she called “propaganda symbols” being promoted in schools.She also criticized the district for not upholding its own policies on diversity and inclusion, in her view.“I've never provided information that would be helpful to identify the individual, but the school district’s letters and responses have done so; that's kind of a backfiring thing from them,” Dixon said..Days later, Superintendent Robin Gray issued a formal exclusion order under Section 177 of the School Act, barring Dixon from entering Ladysmith Intermediate School.The notice cited her social media post as creating a “risk of inciting violence” against staff.Gray emphasized the district’s duty to provide a safe and secure workplace, stating, “We are concerned that your post links violence in the United States with an identifiable photo of a member of our staff, thereby creating a risk of inciting violence against them.”Dixon responded on Facebook, saying she would not be intimidated. “I am not intimidated by tyrants who scour the social media of parents for wrong-think,” she wrote, adding that her concerns were about ideological messaging in schools rather than individual staff members.The school district reiterated its stance in a statement to the Western Standard, saying it “respects everyone’s right to freedom of expression, within the reasonable limits outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”Gillian Robertson, the district’s Executive Director for Communications, said: “Posting a photo publicly to social media of a teacher in their place of work, in association with a school shooting, violates an employee’s right to a safe and respectful environment, free from harassment.”Dixon says she has now pulled her son from the school because she feels “very uncomfortable about the idea of sending him into a building I’m not allowed to go into.”She also claims the district had previously been monitoring her social media activity due to prior disputes over gender ideology in schools, such as her having spoken at events with author and commentator Megan Murphy, drawing attention from other parents and educators who share her concerns..Saskatchewan sets deadline for school changing room policies about transgender students.“Lots of people quietly message me,” she revealed.“I have gotten a few local parents wanting to do something in terms of actually turning up outside the district office and that sort of thing, but I haven't gotten to organizing that.”Dixon said she feels the district is ignoring her concerns.“They are bullying me. They don’t look at the evidence—none of it—about jurisdictional changes on transitioning minors, or the impacts on LGBTQ youth," she said."If I can take this to court, that would be ideal, because they need to realize they have to hear their community. Ironically, they currently have a draft policy seeking feedback on consulting parents and encouraging debate—but in practice, they don’t follow it.”Going forward, Dixon says she is looking at homeschooling her son, but it’s been a challenge as a single mother and with all of her family living overseas in England.“I have been rearranging my life to try and homeschool,” she said.“I really would love it if the public school system was not traumatizing.”
