Company apologizes for data issue around names of some Sask. LGBTQ students

As reaction continues to the Saskatchewan government’s policy change regarding gender and pronoun changes, an online education portal used by parents and students in Saskatoon is apologizing for a data issue that affected some LGBTQ students.

Edsby, which runs the portal, said a bug during a system update caused the birth names of students to show up on accounts instead of their preferred names.

Some LGBTQ students said that because the bug allowed their classmates to view their birth names, it wrongly named them and outed them.

Edsby said the issue has since been resolved and took responsibility.

The company said it understands the timing was poor, given Saskatchewan’s new rules that require parental consent when children under the age of 16 want to change their names or pronouns at school.

The announcement Tuesday of the policy change was greeted with concern by many organizations, with many saying the provincial government was guilty of an overstep.

Julian Wotherspoon, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Regina, said it’s “instrumental” for kids to be able to express themselves in a safe space. She said the roadblocks coming with the new policies could detract from their education in general.

“I imagine there are a lot of students who are entering school in the fall who were maybe hopeful that they could have a space where they could talk about their gender or identity with others (and) who are now realizing that school is not that place for them,” she said.

In a video shared on social media, Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation president Samantha Becotte called the policy changes “outdated” and said they politicize classrooms.

“Every day, teachers work tirelessly to create inclusive learning environments where all students feel welcomed and safe,” Becotte said. “However, this policy not only handcuffs teachers’ ability to build trust, it also dangerously threatens the safety and well-being of Saskatchewan students.”

The Saskatchewan School Boards Association asked the provincial government to pause the changes and to do an external review.

“We haven’t heard from the minister yet on this,” SSBA president Jaimie Smith-Windsor said Thursday. “We’re hopeful that he sees it’s prudent to pause to consider the evidence-based … consultation that should go into a big policy shift like this our province.”

On Friday afternoon, the Ministry of Education replied to a request for comment from 650 CKOM by saying it was not considering pausing the implementation of the policies or any further changes.

A Saskatoon mother said Thursday she would be filing a human rights complaint about the policies on behalf of her transgender children.

— With files from The Canadian Press