Parent group upset over letter from CBE lawyer

A local parents group is angry over a letter it received from a lawyer representing the Calgary Board of Education.

It warns the group to stop making false allegations about the board — allegations the group says it never made. The letter stated the board takes issue with the group's comments on how millions of dollars of funding was distributed.

Trina Hurdman, a parent and a member of the Association for Responsive Trusteeship in Calgary Schools (ARCTICS), said all they were doing was questioning the board.

"We weren't criticizing," said Hurdman. "We weren't making allegations."

Last year, school board trustees decided $15 million of restored provincial funding should partly go to helping schools address the specific needs of their students.

Instead, CBE administration allocated the money on a straight per student basis. Trustees later said they supported that decision.

Hurdman says her group just raised concerns about the process and feels the legal action is an attempt to silence them.

"It's intimidating to receive a letter from a lawyer. I mean, we don't have a multi-million dollar budget," she said. "We can't fight with lawyers with the CBE. All we're doing is asking questions."

Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk says parents shouldn't feel muzzled and public officials shouldn't preclude individuals from sharing their opinions.

"By doing that you're depriving yourself from the possibility of actually hearing some good ideas," he said.

The minister hasn’t said if he will get involved.

School board officials said they stand by their letter and would not be making further comment on the matter to the media.