Update 3:50 p.m.
Surveillance footage revealed that the vandalism occurred on Oct. 28 at 6:55 p.m. It captured a suspect who appeared to be male, wearing dark clothing, a mask, and gloves.
sa国际传媒淜elowna has a long history of diversity and inclusion of all our citizens, this behavior is disappointing and completely unacceptable,sa国际传媒� said Inspector Beth McAndie, Kelowna RCMP. sa国际传媒淲e will continue to investigate all reports of hate speech and crimes of this nature in an effort to identify those responsible.sa国际传媒�
Anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious on that evening, or has dashcam footage that may have recorded something of interest, contact the RCMP at (250) 762-3300 and reference file number 2023-64754.
Individuals wishing to remain anonymous but have information can contact Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or leave a tip on the Crimestoppers.
Original
A rainbow crosswalk in front of the Central Okanagan School District office was vandalized in what officials are calling a sa国际传媒渃owardly attacksa国际传媒�.
The vandalism was quickly cleaned up on the morning of Oct. 30, before it was seen by children who were on their way to school.
sa国际传媒淭his is a despicable thing for an adult to dosa国际传媒t is a symbol of inclusion,sa国际传媒� said SD23 in a statement to Capital News.
The Kelowna RCMP has confirmed that the rainbow crosswalk located in front of the School District 23 office on Hollywood Road was vandalized. Footage of the vandalism was sent to police and an investigation is currently taking place, confirmed Const. Mike Della-Paolera.
The suspect who reportedly defaced the rainbow art crosswalk appeared to be an adult who was wearing a mask.
The vandalism allegedly contained misinformation, according to the district.
sa国际传媒淪chools are focused on learning. It is important that youth feel like they belong in order to learnsa国际传媒eople have to know that theysa国际传媒檙e safe,sa国际传媒� said an SD23 spokesperson.
The school district condemns the sa国际传媒渃owardly attacksa国际传媒� and maintains a zero tolerance for hate policy within their schools.
Recently, trustee Wayne Broughton voiced his disappointment at what he called frightening confrontational scenes played out at a September protest based largely on misinformation about the role public schools play in both the influence of gender and sexual identity of students and the application of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) 123 program.
The school district has released a which was also supported by teachers, support staff and parent advisory council saying that sa国际传媒渢he human rights of trans and LGBTQ2SAI+ people are not up for debate.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淭he BC SOGI Educator Network helps to make our schools more inclusive and welcoming so that children can express themselves in their own unique way,sa国际传媒� said the school district.
