School board rejects call for third-party investigation

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Russell said the board has no power to force Beattie to step down, noting school boards are not given the power under the B C School Act to remove an elected school trustee.

“We’ve taken the strongest possible step available to us, and that is to publicly ask her to resign immediately,” Russell said.

The School Act allows for medical leave for school board members

OnWednesday afternoon, Beattie emailed a statement to the Record saying that she will “cooperate and participate in the board’s investigation and the usual processes under its policies.”

“As of yet, I have not been invited to meet with the board,” she said “I am focusing on my health at this time, and require time and space before meeting with the board or makng any decisions ”

Beattie’s involvement in the now-defunct @alfromNWTwitter account came to light lastWednesday night when parent Sarah Arboleda went public onTwitter with a thread outlining the online sleuthing that had led her to believe “Allan Whitterstone” was, in fact, Beattie.

Beattie issued a statement on Friday (June 16) admitting to the accusation

“There is no excuse for what I did,” she said in the statement “For a significant period of time, I have had health issues, including chronic pain and mental health issues that increasingly became worse. I should have done this sooner, but I have finally realized I must seek medical intervention to heal myself and refocus.

“I cannot undue (sic) the pain and damage I have caused, but I can say I am truly sorry”

PARENTS CALL FOR THIRD-PARTY INVESTIGATION

A crowd of about 25 people gathered at this week’s school board meetingTuesday night, several of whom stepped up to comment about the issue

Among them was Arboleda, who called for a third-party investigation into what she called a “toxic culture” within the board

James Plett said the board should conduct a “thorough third-party investigation” into the matter

“We need to know how this happened, why it happened and what can be done to make sure something like this never happens again Trust has been destroyed,” he said.

Russell, however, said the board had already considered the possibility of an investigation and decided not to move forward with the idea.

“What was already brought to light by your family was so egregious, we immediately took the strongest possible action that’s available to us,” she told Plett

She said the board weighed what could be gained by an investigation and concluded there was no additional action it could take

“While we understand the need to fully understand what happened and the implications, we don’t feel that’s the board’s role,” she said “We’re going to try to focus on the work of rebuilding the trust and doing our work.”

DPAC, UNIONS, SPEAK OUT

Laura Kwong, chair of the NewWestminster district parent advisory council, reiterated DPAC’s call for Beattie to resign

The parent group issued a statement Sunday night calling for Beattie’s resignation

Kwong said DPAC objects to Beattie taking a leave of absence.

“In a growing district that is experiencing financial pressures, public taxpayer dollars should not be going to support someone who has behaved in such a despicable manner,” the statement said

Representatives from the school district’s two unions NewWestminster Teachers’ Union president Kristie Oxley and CUPE Local 409 president Dave Bollen also spoke at the board meeting to condemn Beattie’s actions.

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