The Abbotsford board of education has censured two trustees for speaking out in support of girls’ sports and parental rights on Facebook.
The Abbotsford, B.C. school district has removed Trustees Jared White and Mike Rauch from all “ ancillary public facing roles” on committees, working groups and school and district events. The decision followed the board’s disapproval of a Facebook post made by White in February.
“No more biological males in women’s and girls’ sports. No more biological males in women’s and girl’s bathrooms and locker rooms,” White said. “No more teaching vulnerable children that they can be both genders or neither. Enough. Common sense is making a come back and it’s about time.”
According to an email shared with True North that was sent to school staff on Monday, the board ruled the post “regarding gender identity” had violated the Trustee’s Code of Ethics and “undermined the District’s efforts to create a safe and welcoming environment.”
The email said the two will continue to participate as trustees in formal board meetings and will continue to carry out their core governance roles, and that the restrictions would be reviewed at a later date.
White is set to be reviewed, Dec. 31 while Rauch’s case will be reviewed at the end of June.
“Both Trustees have been asked to apologize and reaffirm their support and commitment to equal educational opportunities for all students, including those with diverse gender identities,” the email reads.
In a message to True North, White said that while he believes in equal educational opportunities for all students, he will not apologize for his statements.
“Parents in Abbotsford are tired of being forced into false dichotomies because they believe in common-sense biological realism. I unwaveringly restate my commitment to a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment for all students, staff, and families,” he said. “And, I unwaveringly restate my commitment to championing biological realism in the classroom and standing up for fairness and safety in women’s sports and safe places.”
He said censuring elected representatives goes against democratic principles.
“If the Charter right to freedom of expression means anything, it has to be within the democratic arena. Without freedom of expression, our democracy is a sham,” White told True North. “The job of a public official is to faithfully represent the views of those who elected him even when those views challenge or upset the status quo.”
Rauch, who was reprimanded for liking White’s Facebook comment, directed True North to a statement he released on his website, where he apologized for any harm his comments caused but reaffirmed his commitment to fairness in women’s and girls’ sports.
“I removed my comment and sincerely apologize to anyone who was harmed by it. I have close relationships with transgender individuals and would never want to hurt them,” he said in the statement. “That said, I remain concerned about men competing in women’s sports.”
He expressed that he felt the decision to bar him from attending school events as an official board member was unreasonable “as the Board has an obligation to women and girls.”
“I am a strong advocate for sports and physical activity for all. However, fairness in competition is distinct from human rights,” Rauch said. “Competitive sports have long included eligibility criteria—such as age divisions, weight classes, skill-based divisions, anti-doping rules, and gender categories—designed to ensure fairness and safety for all athletes.”
Abbotsford School District did not respond to True North’s request for comment.
These comments are made in the context of a broader debate in British Columbia as BC Conservative leader John Rustad introduced the Fairness in Women’s and Girls Sporting Act before the election in 2024, but the NDP government shot it down.
The Abbotsford school board has faced scrutiny before for censuring staff who express views outside the established narrative. Educator Jim McMurtry was fired after an over 40-year career as a teacher after he dared to say that most residential school deaths were due to disease rather than murder – a fact some experts on residential school history agree with.