The annual Iron Ridge Intermediate Campus (IRIC) Family School Christmas Dance had to be cancelled this year, due to a Facebook post regarding a lesson taught by a teacher at IRIC referring to the oil and gas industry quickly got out of hand, with the post quickly gathering a lot of attention and arguments, eventually ending in its deletion and the Blackfalds RCMP having to intervene.

It all started last week in the private Facebook group, the Blackfalds Opinion Posts and More..., where a user made a post questioning a teacher's lesson regarding oil and gas, feeling their child was being directly pressured by the teacher to believe that the oil and gas industry was bad. 

Superintendent for Wolf Creek Public Schools Jayson Lovell says the teacher was presenting two sides of an argument, one from Greenpeace and the other from the Government of Alberta, about the positive and negative aspects of the oil industry, and then asking the students to form their own opinion about it based on that information.

"The teacher designed the activity as a critical thinking type of activity, where students were not given one side of the story, they were given a very balanced, overview of both sides of the issue, and then the teacher was planning on using that as a way for students to write an opinion piece, a written piece, based on where they felt from looking at both sides, where they wanted to weigh in on this and then explain that in a written piece... that information went home, and a parent became very concerned about the content in the classroom."

The principal of the school tried to address and clarify the situation but the damage was already done. As comments quickly spiralled out of control, the moderators of the site ended up deleting the post.

Moderators from the Blackfalds Opinion Posts and More... with a post shortly after the initial post that caused all the controversy was deleted.

The RCMP were also made aware of the post, and ended up issuing a ticket under the School Act for disturbing or interrupting the proceedings of a school.

Moderators from the Blackfalds Opinion Posts and More...with a post explaining why the initial post causing all the commotion was deleted.

The school division sent out a letter to parents regarding the situation, which you can read below, and are encouraging parents and students to attend their social media information session on Tuesday, December 10th, 2019 at 6:30 pm at the Iron Ridge Intermediate Campus, where the experts from Jo(e) Social Media Inc. will speak to the issue of being careful on social media.

Letter to Blackfalds Parents: Social Media Concerns & IRIC Christmas Dance Cancellation

Dec. 6th, 2019: 

Dear WCPS Parents & Guardians of Blackfalds Schools, 

As you are aware, this week we were forced to cancel the annual Iron Ridge Intermediate Campus’ Family School Christmas Dance. Please know that this was not an easy decision, as we know the excitement students and families have for this event, and the value it carries in the school. But through events that unfolded throughout the week, the safety of students and staff at the event became uncertain, forcing us to make that ultimate decision. 

You may know that this week social media posts on a local Facebook forum called into question a lesson taught by an IRIC teacher. The Principal sought to address the concerns through open and constructive dialogue, but was unsuccessful. Unfortunately, the posts on the Facebook forum reached a level where it was necessary for the Blackfalds RCMP to be involved. The RCMP investigated, and issued a ticket under the School Act for disturbing or interrupting the proceedings of a school.

Let me assure you, we at the three Blackfalds Campuses and across Wolf Creek Public Schools, welcome open, honest and respectful conversations on all issues, including teaching practices and curriculum. We encourage parents to build relationships with us, so we can better create understanding between the school and the home.

We are committed to building digital citizenship in our students, and aiding parents in resources to develop that awareness and support their children in the proper use of technology and social media. To that end, we had previously scheduled a parent session with Jo(e) Social Media Inc., experts in social media use and that event will still go ahead. It is a tremendous resource for parents to learn more about engaging on social media, creating those constructive connections with your school, and understanding the pressures your children are under with the use of social media. The event is Tuesday, December 10, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. at Iron Ridge Intermediate Campus. I strongly encourage parents to attend this free event. 

Going forward, our three Blackfalds Campuses and Wolf Creek Public Schools remain committed to engaging in conversations in a respectful and constructive way. The best way to open those conversations is to simply ask. We at the school and division level will work with you for a positive solution, as together our primary goal is student success. We are also committed to providing parent resources around Alberta Education’s curriculum, including student learner outcomes, and making those readily available on our Division and school websites. Please look for those in the near future. 

We remain proud of the outstanding track record of our staff and students at our three Blackfalds Campuses in providing an excellent quality of education and safe and caring learning environments; these measures are directly gathered through parent and student feedback. 

I want to truly thank you for your understanding, and look forward to strengthening the relationships between our schools and you. 

Sincerely,

Jayson Lovell

Superintendent

Wolf Creek Public Schools