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Whitehorse parent charged with harassment, mischief fails in school council elections

Unofficial count shows Kenechukwu Onwudinjo wasn’t elected to Holy Family Elementary School council
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The territory’s Catholic schools went to a vote to elect the members of their school councils. Twenty-six people came forward to fill 15 seats on the three school councils. (Dana Hatherly/Yukon News)

A Holy Family Elementary School parent charged with criminal harassment and mischief hasn’t been elected to the school’s council, according to school council election results from Elections Yukon.

As reported by the News, court documents indicate the charges against failed school council candidate Kenechukwu Peter Onwudinjo stem from several incidents at Holy Family Elementary School this year.

Onwudinjo and her husband, who also ran and lost in the school council elections, expressed issues with the school when they spoke with the News in March, alleging anti-Black discrimination within the school community.

READ MORE: Parent charged following disruptions at Whitehorse’s Holy Family Elementary School

The territory’s three Catholic schools, all located in Whitehorse, each held a vote to elect members to the school council.

Twenty-six candidates put their names forward for the 15 elected school council positions at Holy Family Elementary School, Christ the King Elementary School and St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Secondary School.

Each school has five seats on its council.

In total, 386 voters turned up across the three schools, with 100 at the early vote on May 4, 270 on polling day on May 6 and 16 by mail-in ballot through Elections Yukon, per an email from Elections Yukon.

The official results have Shirah Davis, Robyn Burns, Sara Poirier, Jody Eikelboom and Gina Anderson making up Holy Family Elementary School’s council.

At Christ the King Elementary School, Milton Davis, Rocío Castro, Evan Moffat, Alethea Wallace and Mike Snider will sit on that school’s council.

Christopher Potvin, Ryan Sikkes, Rod Bagaslao, Jeanette Gallant and Katherine Williams were elected to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Secondary School’s council.

There was no vote at the 14 other Yukon Education schools, and members were elected by acclamation due to a lack of contest.

Ten schools still have up to three vacant positions on council.

School council members serve for two years, beginning the day before the start of the 2024/25 school year.

School councils review and approve school growth plans, review and develop school-based policies, have a say in hiring school principals, make recommendations on school spending and advise on matters like school calendars, staffing needs and school programming and renovations.

READ MORE: Yukonomist: Parent strike!

—With files from Matthew Bossons

Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com



Dana Hatherly

About the Author: Dana Hatherly

I’m the legislative reporter for the Yukon News.
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