Comments made by Abbotsford school trustee Jared White on Facebook praising American president and former reality TV star Donald Trump's recent executive order to ban transgender athletes from women's sports has generated significant attention and the post is now under review by the Abbotsford School District.
White shared a video of Trump signing the executive order on his "Jared White for Abbotsford School Trustee" page on Feb. 5.
He added comments stating, "No more biological males in women's/girls' sports. No more biological males in women鈥檚/girls' bathrooms and locker-rooms. No more teaching vulnerable children that they can be both genders or neither. Enough. Common sense is making a come back and it鈥檚 about time."
.@AbbotsfordSD trustee Jared White has chimed in with his thoughts on Donald Trump's recent executive order related to transgender athletes #abbotsford pic.twitter.com/nKt56YUvJI
鈥� Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) February 13, 2025
The News reached out to White, who said that diverse opinions are important and that he believes his views align with a number of local parents. He added that he hopes that his fellow trustees decide not to discipline him.
"It is extremely important for diverse opinions to be able to be shared without fear of censorship or reprisals," he stated in an email. "My views are consistent with the views of a substantial amount of concerned citizens and parents in Abbotsford and around this province. Any attempt by the school district to muzzle or 鈥渃ancel鈥� me would be extremely disappointing and profoundly undemocratic. I trust my fellow trustees will do the right thing and continue to allow freedom of expression in this district.鈥�
White was asked to provide examples of these specific issues occurring in Abbotsford, but he chose not to do so.
The Facebook post, which is viewable for the public to see, has over 100 comments. White's previous post on the page was made in May 2024 and the one prior to that was made in November 2022.
Abbotsford board of education chair Shirley Wilson said the district is aware of the online comments and they are being reviewed.
"We take this matter seriously and we are reviewing it in accordance with our established processes," she said. "Our district is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful and safe environment for all students, staff and families. Our goal is to uphold these values in all aspects of our work, including our governance and leadership."
Wilson added that, over the past week, district staff received a number of emails from parents concerned at the public comments White made.
The Abbotsford Board of Education approved and adopted a set of policies in October 2013 that serve as a guideline to reflect the values they bring to specific issues as representatives of the community.
Board Policy 6 Point 12 states that trustees "demonstrate discretion when making public statements that do not reflect the corporate opinion of the board." Board Policy 1 states that the board's values consist of respect, trust, integrity, communication and teamwork.
White finished sixth in trustee voting in 2022 and earned 8,388 votes.
Former trustee Phil Anderson agreed to temporarily step down and received training following a Facebook post he shared back in 2021 that compared wearing a mask to slavery. He completed his training and returned to his position, but was then unsuccessful in the 2022 election.
Over in Chilliwack, former trustee Barry Neufeld was censured in 2020 due to ongoing unethical behaviour. That decision included his removal from invitations to all district events where trustees interact with students and staff.
