(LifeSiteNews) — Thousands of students across Canada stayed home on June 1 to protest the promotion of “Pride Month” in the public education system, with one school missing 75 percent of its students, according to a top pro-family group.
As Canadian schools celebrated the June 1 beginning of so-called “Pride Month,” thousands of students were absent nationwide, taking part in the first annual “National ‘Pride’ Flag Walk-Out Day” initiated by pro-life and pro-family organization Campaign Life Coalition (CLC).
“The first ever National ‘Pride’ Flag Walk-Out Day was a huge success,” CLC’s director of political operations Jack Fonseca told LifeSiteNews. “The parent participation and student absence rates in many schools and parts of Canada was much higher than we had even dreamed of achieving.”
“For instance, we’ve heard from local parents that Windsor, Ontario’s Northwood Public School saw 600 out of its 800 students stay home on June 1st. That’s a staggering 75% walk-out.”
Mainstream media outlets have also reported mass absences. However, most schools have been reluctant to report exact numbers of the missing students.
Mario Spagnuolo, local president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, refused to give numbers but admitted to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that multiple schools experienced over 50 percent absence rates.
Similarly, two Ottawa schools had over 60 percent of their students stay home, while nine other schools were missing over 40 percent of students.
Schools in Oakville reported up to 30 percent of students staying home. While Toronto school officials were also unwilling to report numbers, they admitted to media that absences in some schools were “higher than normal” on June 1.
In London, school officials also refused to disclose the numbers of absences but told the London Free Press that there were significant “absences in pockets of schools.”
“We haven’t yet received reports from other provinces or cities, but we’re confident that a loud message was sent to school board officials there, too,” Fonseca asserted. “And that message is, ‘We don’t want schools indoctrinating our children with LGBT propaganda. Stop indoctrinating them. Start respecting our parental rights.’”
He revealed that some parents plan to keep their children home from school for another week or even the whole month to protest the promotion of the LGBT agenda to children.
“I think that’s a great idea, and CLC is encouraging parents across Canada to do the same,” Fonseca declared. “Let the woke educators and the woke school trustees know that you reject the LGBT lobby’s flag of conquest hanging over your children’s heads.”
“By that empty desk, show them you refuse to accept the LGBT lobby’s claim of ownership on the heart, mind, and soul of your son, daughter, or grandchild,” he said.
Canadians are increasingly standing up to LGBT activists and have experienced major victories in the past months. In May, hundreds of students, reportedly predominantly Muslim, stayed home when their London, Ontario, schools flew the “pride” flag.
Also in May, pro-LGBT school trustee Wendy Ashby resigned from the Waterloo Catholic District School Board after over 3,000 parents petitioned for her removal.
Last week, trustees in the York Catholic District School Board voted against flying the “Pride” flag atop of its schools and other buildings in celebration of “Pride Month.”
