Apology sanction struck for Red Deer school trustee who compared Pride to Nazism

Alberta’s highest court has struck the decision by a Catholic school division requiring a trustee to publicly apologize for a social media post that compared children waving Pride flags to Nazi Germany.

The issue erupted in the summer of 2023 and led Monique LaGrange to resign from the board of Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools after fellow board members voted to disqualify her.

The board had also sanctioned LaGrange by demanding an apology, censuring her from parts of her job and requiring she undergo sensitivity training.

LaGrange has tried and failed to challenge the board’s decisions multiple times in court.

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A panel of three Court of Appeal judges ruled partly in her favour on Wednesday, striking the ruling that she issue an apology.

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The court says requiring LaGrange to be “deeply sorry” for what she did amounts to compelled speech and imposes an impossible standard since she doesn’t believe she was in the wrong.

The judges dismissed other aspects of LaGrange’s appeal, including her attempts to have the board’s decisions squashed for being unfair or unreasonable.

The school division and a law firm representing LaGrange didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.