Child and Family Therapist Speaks Out
In a speech given at the October 21, 2023 "Million March Round 2" protest at Kitchener City Hall, Jennifer Clarke shared her concerns with the WRDSB urging others to stand up and be counted.
With permission from Jennifer Clarke we are posting below the text of her speech in full.
Hello everyone. Thank you for having me here today. I'm here first and foremost as a Mom. I was invited to speak today because I'm also a therapist who works with children and families throughout the Waterloo Region. And I AM NOT AFRAID TO SPEAK.
My concerns about the direction of the Waterloo Region District School Board started during March Break 2020.
My concerns about books in the school libraries started when Carolyn Burjoski's name was mentioned to me back in 2021.
And since 2022, I've seen the devastating effects that the last three years have had on children as their parents (who I might add, ARE loving and caring parents, despite what our society wants you to believe) reach out to me as they've heard that I'm one of the few therapists who has not succumbed to the woke agenda.
I'd like to next share with you some things I've tried over the last three years as a Mom:
- emailing and talking with my daughter's school about the developmentally inappropriate books in the library
- emailing and talking with the Waterloo Region District School Board admin and trustees about the inappropriate books in the library
- attending gatherings with like-minded parents, community members, and teachers about the importance of protecting children
- volunteering to help trustees campaign about the importance of protecting children
My concerns as a Mom started to grow when I was ping ponged between school staff and the school board. Nobody could or would give me a straight answer to what I believed to be valid concerns that any loving and caring parent would have. The push back, to me, was another red flag.
At that point, I knew that another level of communication was needed. So I will be speaking at an upcoming trustees meeting. But because, for good reason, I do not trust that I will be permitted to speak freely, I have chosen to speak freely here today.
So far, I've shared with you that I am a Mom and a therapist. Like many therapists, life experiences have guided me along the way. Before I was a Mom, I coordinated a national project for SickKids Hospital called CALIPER. Although I'm not formally educated in clinical biochemistry, I learned enough from that job to know that there are basic biological differences between the sexes.
When it comes to educating our children... one would think that speaking untruths about sex and gender would be the line… but no.
When it comes to educating our children... one would think that pornographic books in school libraries would be the line… but no.
When it comes to educating our children... one would think that drag queen performances would be the line… but no.
When it comes to educating our children... one would think that tampon dispensers in boys' washrooms would be the line… but no.
When it comes to educating our children... one would think that telling young girls that the purpose of their breasts is to make them feel uncomfortable in their bodies would be the line... but no.
So, my question today, for the Waterloo Region District School Board is - "Where do you draw the line?" It seems to me that you are determined to not draw a line. You seem determined to silence us parents, which is a red flag for predatory behaviour. I learned about predatory behaviour when I worked at our local domestic violence shelters. Predators are known to instill fear in their victims with threats. This is intended to silence their victims.
Abusive behaviour comes in many forms. It's not just physical. It can be emotional. It can be psychological. It can be financial. And I believe that these tactics are being used to control teachers in our school board. And let's be honest everyone, we know in our hearts that we have some REALLY GOOD teachers in our schools.
It is my hope that as we parents continue to speak up and do right by our children, we will inspire our teachers to stand up and do right by their students.
And speaking of students, I was struck by a post our Director of Education made on one of his social media platforms recently [ed: see here for one such statement posted on the WRDSB site]. He spoke to key phrases that I often use in my work with clients - the importance of connection and trauma-informed care for mental health and well-being. While I do whole-heartedly agree that connection and trauma-informed care are essential in the work that we therapists do, it is important that a distinction be made in the roles that we each play. Schools are for educating children. Not assessing and diagnosing mental health. I am a trained psychotherapist and even with my years of training I am not qualified to formally assess and diagnose. That requires many more years of training. So perhaps my lead can be followed; When you come across something outside your wheelhouse, acknowledge that it is outside your role, and seek out the appropriate professional services.
While I am not trained to assess and diagnose, I am trained to detect when someone is faking empathy, which is one of the main characteristics of narcissism. You cannot virtuously signal and emote empathy while simultaneously being the cause of children's mental health problems. That is gaslighting - another tactic that abusers use to control a narrative.
I'd like to end my speech here today with words of hope. From where I’m standing, we are on the precipice of a movement. The kind of movement our children's children will read in their history books. If you continue on this trajectory of teaching young minds inversions of truth, you are choosing to stand on the side of history that will be known for not only NOT speaking up to protect children, but you will be choosing to stand on the side of history that sat by as children were lied to and butchered.
The harm that has already been done, cannot be undone. But you can decide to stand up and say "No More".