An educational assistant in Saskatchewan was fired for a Facebook group post to a story promoting parents keeping their kids home on June 1 in protest of Pride Month in the school system. .Leah Maier worked with Kindergarten to Grade 5 students at PJ Gillen Elementary School in Esterhazy until her termination on June 12. .Leah's post to the Facebook group was from someone else who wanted it shared with the group. Leah asked “I would like to know how you guys assume that I was in favour of that post or that share.”.Leah was told in the termination meeting that “sharing things is the same as making the post” and “if you don’t speak out, you are in favour of it.”.PJ Gillen is part of the Good Spirit School Division (GSSD), which is public, and the Director of Education Quintin Robertson terminated her..The Western Standard reached out to Robertson about the termination but received no response by the given deadline..The story came from a Christian news site and entitled Canadian parents urged to keep children home from school on June 1 to protest ‘Pride Month.’.When the school found out about the post, they put Leah on “work from home” starting on Friday, June 9, before her termination on Monday, June 12..The termination letter said the “Good Spirit School Division prides itself on maintaining a respectful and inclusive environment that promotes diversity, equality, and the well-being of all students and employees.”.The GSSD does “respect the rights of our employees to express their opinions outside the workplace, it is essential that our employees uphold the core values of our organization, both professionally and personally.”.Leah’s one Facebook group post was “damaging to the reputation of the school division and incompatible with our values and the culture we strive to maintain.”.In Leah’s termination meeting, she said that she sent her children to school on June 1 and told them to check the attendance record for her children..Earlier in Pride Month, Leah had commented on a Facebook post asking if a Pride Flag was hanging in the junior gym, which she confirmed. The school gave her a verbal warning for saying that a Pride Flag was in the gym. In Leah’s comment, she did not say if she supported or did not support the Pride Flag handing in the gym.. Leah Maier Termination Letter .Leah had a verbal warning last year when she posted a story about a girl who committed suicide and left a note that she killed herself because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
