ATA calls for Red Deer school board trustee to resign after Nazi post

The Alberta Teachers' Association wants a Red Deer school board member to resign after she compared the LGBTQ2S+ community to Nazi Germany in a social media post.

Monique LaGrange's post shows a picture of children waving the Nazi flag above a picture of children waving pride flags, with the caption "brainwashing is brainwashing."

LaGrange, a Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools trustee, has not commented publicly since.

On Wednesday, the ATA joined a growing list of groups criticizing LaGrange and calling for consequences.

"LaGrange’s Facebook post was vile and repugnant. Not only does it serve to undermine the atrocities of the Nazi regime, but it also acts as a form of oppression to entice further hatred toward members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community," ATA president Jason Schilling said.

"Trusteeship, by definition, requires behaviour that engenders trust. LaGrange can no longer be trusted to act in a manner that preserves the safety, well-being and dignity of the students of Red Deer Catholic. She has no choice but to resign."

If she does not resign, the ATA called for the school board to remove her from all committees and appointments, and if the board does not take action, Schilling wants the government to launch a formal review.

In a statement to CTV News Edmonton on Thursday, the province's education minister, Demetrios Nicolaides, said the board has full authority to disqualify a trustee.

"The board has indicated that they are seeking advice on the code of conduct, and then will proceed accordingly. The board has assured me that they will handle this in a quick and effective manner. It is important to note that under the Education Act I do not have the authority to remove or dismiss a single trustee, and only the board has the ability to do so."

Late Thursday afternoon, the president of the Alberta Catholic School Trustees' Association said in a statement issued on social media that its board removed her as a director.

"Separate school boards are committed to providing 'a welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environment that respects diversity and fosters a sense of belonging' in accordance with Section 33(1)(d) of the Education Act," ACSTA president Harry Salm said. "Trustee LaGrange's social media post was unbecoming of an ACSTA director."