The Saanich school district’s investigation into a controversial video clip shown in class by an elementary school teacher will take up to two weeks.
Joe Winkler, who teaches a Grade 4/5 class at Keating Elementary School, is on paid leave. He said the showing was inadvertent, and that he had intended to run another video he had previewed.
Winkler has previously faced scrutiny over material shown in class. He was teaching Grade 4 at Brentwood Elementary School when he was handed a brief suspension in 2012 after presenting a video that featured men in bikinis lip-synching on a beach.
A number of parents disagreed with what they considered sexualized imagery in the video. Winkler said the video was intended to be a starting point for discussing transgender issues. Winkler had a “supported” return from that suspension in the form of guidance and mentorship, said Saanich district superintendent Keven Elder.
In the current case, Winkler sent an email to parents explaining what happened, Elder said.
“He admitted to parents that, as he said, he erroneously shared an inappropriate video,” Elder said. “The response from parents has been one of concern, and that’s being factored into our investigation.”
A Keating parent, who did not want to give his name, said people are watching the situation closely.
“These are our children, and we’re the advocates for our children.”
Elder said class content needs to be a fit for students.
“I think, in general, any media materials that are used in classroom settings need to be curricularly relevant and age-appropriate. Those are the two key factors.”
Meanwhile, a parents’ group in the Greater Victoria school district said it is looking for a policy on the showing of feature films in classrooms. A letter was sent to the school board in March.
“We’ve had in our district a rule for a while that, if a teacher’s going to show feature films that are not G-rated, then they had to inform the parents and the parents had an opportunity to opt their kid out,” said John Bird, president of the Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils.
Now, the onus is on parents to ask about movies to be shown, Bird said.
“We want, when you’re going to introduce sensitive material, that the teacher and the parents are on the same page and the kids are supported.
“The real issue is sensitive issues and their impact on kids.”
Parents are not looking for control over what happens in class, Bird said.
“We’re not talking about any kind of censorship or control of curriculum. We’re simply talking about supporting kids when you’re showing them sensitive material. There always is the opt-out option.”
