LONDON, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — Hundreds of students stayed home on May 17 as Ontario schools flew the rainbow “pride” flag.
Over 400 students, including about a third of the student body at Eagle Heights Elementary School in London, Ontario, were absent as schools raised “pride” flags to mark the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, as reported by The London Free Press. Many of the student were from Muslim families.
In response to the absences, Craig Smith, president of the Thames Valley district of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, encouraged the board to engage in “courageous conversations” with the Muslim community.
“At the end of the day, there is clearly a big issue there that needs to be addressed,” Smith said.
Tami Murray, president of the umbrella group Oxford County Pride, said she was left “speechless” by the idea of parents keeping children home to avoid the LGBT celebration.
“I guess it’s the parents’ choice, but it’s very unfortunate,” she lamented.
“In a time where the same group (Muslims) has been quite marginalized, you would think that minorities and marginalized groups would unite and support each other,” she added.
One teacher from Thames Valley, the region’s largest school board, was missing almost half her class on Wednesday and said teachers are “tired of fighting against discrimination.”
Thames Valley provided little information as to why the absences took place. Andrew Canham, the board’s superintendent of student achievement, promised, “We will work with individuals, schools and communities who may have experienced higher than usual absenteeism rates on May 17 or any other day during the school year to encourage all students to attend school when they are able.”
According to an anonymous source within the school system, other elementary schools reported low attendance rates that day, including Ashley Oaks, Sir George Etienne Cartier, Westmount and Sir Isaac Brock elementary schools. At Arthur Ford Public School, 375 students were absent, and 300 students were missing from Wilfrid Jury Public School.
Jack Fonseca of Campaign Life Coalition was encouraged by what took place, telling LifeSiteNews, “Thank God for these Muslim families who kept their children home on the so-called International Day against Transphobia and Homophobia, another invention of the gay lobby which is used for indoctrination!”
“Parents said a big fat NO to teachers brainwashing their children with homosexual and transgender ideology,” he continued. “The risk of being called ‘homophobic’ by the mainstream media was obviously less important to these loving moms and dads than the need to protect their children’s immortal souls from being led to accept evil as good, and good as evil.”
“I would guess another factor for the mass absence was the fear of kids being groomed at these events to question their gender,” he suggested.
“Because of the rapidly spreading social contagion of children identifying as ‘transgendered’ and demanding to be put on puberty blockers, this is a realistic fear on the minds of a growing number of parents,” Fonseca explained. “It’s also well-founded because that is indeed happening, both in schools and on social media.”
This is not the first time that students at Eagle Heights Elementary have missed school on days when the “pride” flag was flown. In February, in celebration of “Rainbow Day,” the Thames Valley District school board saw an unusual number of absences, which education director Mark Fisher later claimed was a “miscommunication.”
Parents have begun to speak out against LGBT agenda being pushed on their children at school. Pro-LGBT school trustee Wendy Ashby recently resigned after over 3,000 parents petitioned for her resignation.
Similarly, last month, a group of young Canadians protested a school-sponsored drag queen event in front of York Mills Collegiate Institute in Toronto.
Fonseca urged Catholic and Christian parents “to follow the lead of these wonderful Muslims. In fact, I am encouraging all parents across Canada to plan what I will call a ‘Pride Flag Day of Absence’ as a form of peaceful protest on June 1st, the start of homosexual-and-transgender Pride Month.”
“Keep your children home that day,” he added. “Suggest it to other parents at your school to do the same so that we can emulate the mass absence experienced at Eagle Heights in every school across the nation which flies this symbol of sin and of LGBT political power.”
“Whether yours is a public or Catholic school that plans to fly the flag, let them hear your protest by the silence of your child’s absence,” Fonseca continued, adding that some schools plan to raise the “pride” flag before June 1 to avoid “the embarrassment of significant student absences on June 1st.”
Parents must find out which day their public or Catholic school is going to raise the LGBT flag,” he urged. “Demand an answer from your Principal or Vice-Principal. Ask directly whether they’re going to do it June 1st or on an earlier date. Don’t take no for an answer.”
“Then, spread the word to other families in your school, and make it happen,” Fonseca said. “It’s time to push back in large numbers.”