Education
It’s back to school for 11,000 students and 1,500 staff at Red Deer Public

Red Deer Public Schools is ready and excited to welcome 11,000 students back to the classroom on Wednesday, August 31! Staff have been busy preparing their classrooms and schools since Thursday, August 25. It’s going to be a great year full of teaching, learning and inspiring students.
“We want to ensure all students in Red Deer Public have a great school year, and are able to achieve their very best,” said Chad Erickson, Superintendent. “The last two years have been a challenging way to start as Superintendent for Red Deer Public. Looking ahead to this year I want to move forward. I want to engage with and connect with our staff, students, parents and community, and sharing a vision and aspirations for students and staff will play a big role in that. Red Deer Public Schools is the best choice for all students and we will continue focusing on that and improving where we can by working together.”
That connection began last Friday, August 26, when all 1,500 Red Deer Public Schools staff took part in the Division’s Kick Off event, held at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School. It was a morning of connection, inspiration and motivation as staff heard addresses from Superintendent Chad Erickson and Board Chair Nicole Buchanan. Themes included the importance of building relationships, having optimism, and believing in yourself.
BEST CHOICE
It’s an exciting time of year as school hallways will soon be buzzing with activity. In addition to seeing the faces of new students, Red Deer Public welcomes 30 new staff for the 2022/2023 school year. One focus area for the Division includes ensuring Red Deer Public is the BEST CHOICE by offering enhanced programming and meeting the needs and interest of students and families. This will be done through work by the Board of Trustees and community engagement this school year.
Red Deer Public will offer its newest choice to families this year….The Sports Academy. More than 300 students are enrolled in the Academy. In partnership with The Dome Red Deer, sports offered include:
-
Baseball/Softball
-
Soccer
-
Hockey
-
Sportfit (multi-sport opportunity)
“Our Sports Academy is one of many choices we look forward to offering our students and families. We want to ensure Red Deer Public Schools is the best choice for your children. They are going to get excellence in teaching and learning, with opportunities that will ensure they are well prepared for their future,” said Nicole Buchanan, Board Chair. “We offer a number of choices already that help students reach their full potential, and our Board is excited to offer this new program of choice.”
CURRICULUM
The start of the new school year also means a new curriculum for students in Kindergarten to Grade 3. Over the last six months, the Division’s Learning Services Coordinators, along with K-3 teachers have been actively reviewing the new curriculum to ensure they are prepared for a successful implementation as our top priority is excellence in teaching and learning in every classroom.
“When Kindergarten to Grade 3 students arrive in our classrooms for their first day of school tomorrow, they will be learning a new curriculum with excellent, engaging lessons as they always have in Red Deer Public,” said Erickson.
Meanwhile, Buchanan added Red Deer Public is looking forward to a year full of excellence in teaching and learning in every classroom.
“As we start the year, our Division and our priorities, which include Literacy and Numeracy, Equity, and Student Success and Completion, continue to be at the foundation of what we do and these have resulted in significant success,” she said. “Given the last 30 months, these priorities are even more vital as we begin this year. These priorities drive our day to day work and ensure that all students have the opportunity to reach their full potential.”
Education
Catholic school board members oust fellow trustee for opposing LGBT agenda, talking to media

From LifeSiteNews
One of Monique LaGrange’s fellow trustees said she ‘violated the Trustee Code of Conduct by speaking to the media about what the Board did and about gender ideology.’
A Canadian Catholic school trustee opposed to extreme gender ideology and who compared the LGBT agenda targeting kids to that of “brainwashing” Nazi propaganda has been “disqualified” from her position after her fellow board members voted her out because she spoke to alternative media.
On Tuesday, the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) board of directors voted 3-1 to disqualify Trustee Monique LaGrange. As a result of being voted out, LaGrange later resigned from her position.
LaGrange’s lawyer, Alberta-based attorney James Kitchen of Liberty Coalition Canada, told LifeSiteNews that the RDCRS voted to kick her out “pursuant to section 87 of the Education Act (disqualification).”
Kitchen said that one of LaGrange’s fellow trustees “submitted a second complaint that Monique had violated the Trustee Code of Conduct by speaking to the media (specially Laura-Lynn and Talk Truth) about what the Board did and about gender ideology.”
On September 26, the RDCS passed a motion to mandate that LaGrange undergo “LGBTQ+” and holocaust “sensitivity” training for her social media post.
One of her fellow trustees had complained that because she spoke to the media against gender ideology, after she was ordered to undergo the training, she should be “disqualified.”
LaGrange said that her being disqualified shows that “Alberta has an abuse of power happening, beginning at the lowest level of politics,” in comments made to alternative non-legacy media.
She added that she hopes her removal “motivates Albertans to step up and replace these woke boards in our province.”
LaGrange said she will continue to “move forward and defend our families, our children and our freedom.”
LifeSiteNews contacted LaGrange for additional comment and will later provide more information on her ousting.
In a media statement yesterday, the RDCRS said that LaGrange had violated “sanctions issued on September 26, 2023, and further violations of Board Policy and the Education Act.”
“As a result of the disqualification, as per Section 90 of the Education Act, LaGrange resigned from her position this morning. Effective today, Mrs. LaGrange is no longer a member of the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools Board of Trustees,” the RDCRS noted.
The RDCS did not specify which sanctions LaGrange had violated.
LaGrange initially came under fire when she posted to social media in September an image showing kids in Nazi Germany waving swastika flags during a parade, with the bottom of the post showing an image of kids waving LGBT “pride” flags along with the text, “Brainwashing is brainwashing.”
After her post went viral, calls for her to step down grew from leftist Alberta politicians and others. This culminated in her removal as director of the Alberta Catholic School Trustees’ Association (ACSTA).
LaGrange was elected in 2021 and said about being kicked out of the ACSTA that it was “unfortunate that ACSTA decided to make a rash decision to remove me, refusing to acknowledge that the heart of my message was to protect our children and to nourish their God-given identities.”
LaGrange to fight her removal
Kitchen told LifeSiteNews that as far as the next steps for LaGrange, they are looking to have her disqualification reviewed by a court.
They want a “Judicial review application to the Alberta King’s Bench,” Kitchen said.
“We will be doing that here in December,” he said.
When it comes to LaGrange’s social media post, which has been removed, she said that the post was about protecting kids, not hurting them, saying her meme was “centered around indoctrination and how children are vulnerable to evil agendas (agendas coming from organizations like Planned Parenthood, the UN or SOGI 123) filtering through culture.”
“This meme is not comparing or attacking the LGBTQ community, it is about protecting our children and keeping parents as the primary educators,” she added.
There has been growing opposition in Canada to the teaching of radical transgender ideology in schools, which not only impacts children but also those in education who voice their opposition to such teaching.
In recent months, many concerned Canadians have protested LGBT indoctrination in the nation’s schools. In September, thousands from coast to coast participated in the Million Person March.
Extreme leftists trying to push their LGBT agenda in the classrooms has led to the conservative-led governments of Saskatchewan and New Brunswick implementing parental consent policies into law.
Saskatchewan, under Premier Scott Moe, recently passed a new policy protecting parental rights that states parents must be told if their child changes “genders” at school.
Moe followed the example of New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, who was condemned earlier this year by LGBT activists for reviewing the province’s “gender identity” policy that allowed schools to hide students’ “transgender” status from parents.
Under the new policy, teachers need parental consent to use different names or pronouns for students younger than 16.
At its recent AGM, members of the ruling United Conservative Party (UCP) under leader Danielle Smith passed a host of resolutions calling for parental rights to be protected.
Smith told 3,800 UCP members that she unequivocally defends parental rights, saying society depends on “strong and nurturing families” and parents are the “primary caregivers and educators” of their children.
Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) leader and MP Pierre Poilievre recently blasted what he called “radical gender ideology” targeting kids in public schools.
While LGBT activists have gone after the likes of Higgs and Moe for their slight pushback against gender ideology, a recent Leger poll has shown that Canadians in general favor parental rights in education, especially regarding the material being shared with children.
Education
Red Deer Catholic Board members oust fellow Trustee for sharing social media post

News release from Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools
Trustee LaGrange Disqualified as Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools Trustee for Violating Sanctions
This (Tuesday) morning, the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) Board of Trustees made the decision to disqualify Trustee Monique LaGrange from remaining as a trustee of the Board due to LaGrange violating sanctions issued on September 26, 2023 and further violations of Board Policy and the Education Act. This decision was made following careful consideration and deliberation, with a commitment to maintaining RDCRS’ foundational statements of supporting inclusive learning communities that foster care and compassion for students, families and staff. As a result of the disqualification, as per Section 90 of the Education Act, LaGrange resigned from her position this morning. Effective today, Mrs. LaGrange is no longer a member of the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools Board of Trustees.
The motion reads:
BE IT RESOLVED that further to the November 13 and 14, 2023, in camera discussions, and after having carefully considered all the points raised therein, and in accordance with Board Policy and the Education Act, Trustee LaGrange has violated sanctions issued on September 26, 2023, and had further violated Board Policy and the Education Act. As a result, Trustee LaGrange is hereby disqualified under section 87(1)(c) of the Education Act and Board Policy from remaining as a school board trustee. The Board will issue detailed reasons in support of this Board motion on or before November 24, 2023.
Board Chair Murray Hollman, issued the following statement:
“As the Chair of the RDCRS Board of Trustees, I affirm our unwavering dedication to fostering a safe, secure, caring, respectful and inclusive learning environment for our students, staff and community members. Regrettably, as a result of Trustee LaGrange’s violation of the sanctions placed on her on September 26, 2023, as well as her additional violations of Board Policy and the Education Act, the Board made the challenging decision to disqualify Trustee LaGrange.”
The RDCRS Board of Trustees will continue to work diligently to advance our educational objectives and maintain the trust and support of our community.
-
COVID-192 hours ago
Pfizer documents challenge Health Canada COVID-19 vaccine narrative
-
Business2 hours ago
Trudeau gov’t appears to back down on ‘digital services tax’ plans
-
CBDC Central Bank Digital Currency46 mins ago
Trudeau signs partnership with EU to promote digital IDs, counter ‘disinformation’
-
Alberta2 hours ago
Christian attorney sues Law Society of Alberta for mandating left-wing trainings
-
COVID-191 hour ago
Excess deaths in 2023 way up in Canada and around the world
-
Alberta1 hour ago
Redman got it right on COVID response
-
Business2 days ago
Government surrenders to Google: Peter Menzies
-
Alberta2 days ago
Three suspects charged for allegedly sex trafficking Edmonton teens