Francophone parent group distances itself from CSFN lawsuit

École des Trois-Soleils in Iqaluit has struggled with teacher absences and shortages in recent months, but parents say they want to be kept informed about those issues. (FILE PHOTO)

The association representing parents of students at Nunavut’s only French-language school has distanced itself from a recent lawsuit launched by the francophone school commission against the Government of Nunavut.

In a Feb.12 release, the Association des parents francophones du Nunavut (APFN) called the lawsuit “unacceptable,” adding that it wished to “disassociate itself completely.”

The Commission scolaire francophone du Nunavut — the school board that oversees Iqaluit’s École des Trois-Soleils — filed a lawsuit against the GN Feb. 11 to uphold the constitutional rights of French-speakers in the territory, the school board said.

Filed together with Iqaluit parent and lawyer Doug Garson, the lawsuit goes after the GN for failing to respond to the school board’s demands for resources at Trois-Soleils, namely access to its own gymnasium, science lab and a complete high school program up to Grade 12.

École des Trois-Soleils, which opened in Iqaluit in 2001, serves about 90 students. Because of its small population, its high school students attend the nearby Inukshuk high school.

The lawsuit comes in the midst of a public battle between the school board and the school’s parent group, who have alleged that elected board representatives are not consulting parents and lack transparency.

Parents say the board and school administration have left them in the dark about changes in the classroom, mostly stemming from teacher absences and the lack of funding to maintain a full-day kindergarten program.

Earlier this month, the APFN submitted a petition to the GN with 114 signatures asking for the resignation of the school board’s director and five elected commissioners.

Now, the APFN say Trois-Soleils parents were never consulted ahead of the board’s decision to launch the lawsuit

“The APFN demands that the CSFN cease all legal intimidation and bullying,” the group said Feb. 12.

“The CSFN is acting alone and on their own, and this lawsuit is yet another example that demonstrates the CSFN’s lack of understanding and unwillingness to address the current crisis at hand at École des Trois-Soleils and in its relations with the francophone community.”

The parent group called the GN “an important partner for the francophones of Nunavut.”

“From the APFN’s perspective, legal action is an unacceptable solution to address the challenges and the needs of the francophone community in Nunavut with respect to education services.”