Iqaluit petition launched to save dedicated gym teacher position

Iqaluit resident Jennifer Pearce was the first to raise the issue of Aqsarniit’s phys ed teacher at an Iqaluit District Education Authority meeting May 25. (PHOTO BY LISA GREGOIRE)

An Iqaluit resident has launched a petition to keep a dedicated physical education teacher position at Aqsarniit Middle School in Nunavut’s capital.

By day’s end May 29, the petition had gathered 28 signatures, with a stated goal of 300.

“The gym teacher position is vital to the students’ physical and mental health, and teaches students how to play sports and sportsmanship,” says the online petition, created by Veronica Dewar.

“Students also may have opportunities to play tournaments. Removing the gym teacher will put a strain on regular teachers and have a detrimental effect on the students’ mind, body and spirit.”

Parents of Aqsarniit students (spelled as Aqsarniik in the petition) gathered at an Iqaluit District Education Authority consultation meeting May 25 to tell board members the gym teacher at their school was being let go and that they disagreed with the decision.

They said they weren’t consulted and if they had been, they would have opposed it and tried to find a solution.

Gwen Healey, head of the IDEA board, said they have no say over how principals divvy up their allotted teaching positions for the year but that they would be willing to facilitate a meeting between parents, the Aqsarniit principal and Qikiqtani School Operations in the hopes of resolving the issue.

The deadline for showing your support for the Aqsarniit gym teacher is July 31, 2015. Dewar says in the petition she hopes to get 300 signatures by that date and then forward them to Nunavut’s education minister, Paul Quassa.