Some Saskatchewan teachers are openly defying the new pronouns law passed by the Sask Party government during an emergency sitting using the notwithstanding clause.Teacher Alex Schmidt is ready to accept that risk and understands she might face consequences for not following the province's pronoun law.The teacher from the Regina Public Schools (RPS) system explains that she prefers to prioritize the safety of gender-diverse children who might be in danger due to the law."Part of the process has always been: 'No. 1, thank you for sharing this with me, and No. 2, how can I support you?'" Schmidt told The Canadian Press."I think that respects the rights of parents. And if children say, 'I need you to support me and not share this information until I understand how,' then that is the way that I would support students.”Schmidt and many other teachers have added their names to an online petition, urging school divisions not to comply with the law. The petition argues that the legislation can negatively affect gender-diverse students by potentially pressuring them to disclose their gender identity or leading teachers to misgender them."We will continue to use the practice of letting students have autonomy over their identity and letting students determine who does and doesn’t know about their gender disclosure," said the petition. Bill 137, passed by the Sask Party in October, prohibits children under the age of 16 from altering their names or pronouns at school unless they have their parents’ consent.This regulation was a component of a provincial gender identity policy in schools that was announced in August.In September, a judge issued an injunction, temporarily preventing the implementation of this policy until a court could consider the legal challenge. The judge emphasized that safeguarding gender-diverse youth is more important than the government's interests in this case.The Sask Party government turned the policy into law using the notwithstanding clause to override specific sections of Saskatchewan's Human Rights Code and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.The province has not disclosed specific information about the potential consequences for teachers who do not comply with the pronoun law. The Western Standard contacted Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan government but has not received a reply.When Bill 137 was passed, the Sask Party government said it expected all school divisions and teachers to respect and follow the new law as they would any government regulation.Schmidt stated that the membership of her school's gay-straight alliance club has significantly reduced since the law was enacted."They're very passionate about what's happening, the ones who are there. But I think that there is a disconnect out of fear that they don't know which teachers at their school are allies,” said Schmidt.Schmidt said her hope is that school divisions could assume some of this situation's responsibility or potential consequences."We hope different decisions are made by those larger power systems," said Schmidt."We implore you to recognize that you always have a choice. You always have the option to prioritize students’ human rights," said the petition.School divisions throughout Saskatchewan are currently evaluating their gender identity guidelines.Terry Lazarou, spokesperson for the Regina Public School division, told the Canadian Press that educators will be informed when any changes are implemented."While Regina Public Schools administration works towards making required changes as a result of the amendments, Regina Public Schools' commitment to safe, inclusive, equitable and welcoming environments for all members of the school community will not change," said Lazarou.Jennifer Lyons, spokesperson for Saskatoon Public Schools, stated that they have engaged in discussions with teachers and administrators regarding updated gender identity guidelines."Any issues with implementation will be discussed at the school level," said Lyons.
