Concerned parents ask for meeting with Cariboo Chilcotin School District

Core members of CPWL George Hobi, far left, and Danielle Colbourne, to Hobi’s left, pictured during a Sept. 2025 delegation to School District 27’s board of education when Colbourne asked to meet with the board. (Black Press media file photo)

The Concerned Parents and Caregivers of Williams Lake (CPWL) is asking School District 27’s (SD 27) board of education to reconsider its refusal to meet with the group.

In a Nov. 18 letter signed by George Hobi on behalf of CPWL, Hobi reiterated questions posed to the board by group member Danielle Colbourne during the board’s Sept. 22 regular meeting. Colbourne asked the board to formally meet with CPWL and requested an explanation as to why it withdrew from a meeting both parties were scheduled to attend in July. The district said it had been invited to the meeting, hosted by the community of Esk’etemc, by the Ministry of Education and Child Care and withdrew shortly after the minister said she was no longer able to attend. Read more: Esk’etemc seeks answers, action from Cariboo Chilcotin School Distric

Read more at: https://wltribune.com/2025/11/24/concerned-parents-ask-for-meeting-with-cariboo-chilcotin-school-district/

In response to Colbourne’s questions, SD 27 board Chair Angie Delainey sent a letter on Oct. 10 stating the board would not meet with the group after highlighting four means through which the district engages with parents and thereby supports systemic resolutions. The letter also said parents should specifically refer to its Steps to Resolve Concerns guide for students and parents seeking to resolve concerns at the school level.

“The Board of Education is not interested in adding a further engagement process, including a single meeting, with the Concerned Parents for Williams Lake group,” Delainey wrote. The district’s finite resources, she added, will continue to be focused on existing structures.

In its Nov. 18 letter responding to Delainey, CPWL said the group’s concerns fall outside the scope of these structures and thus the group is seeking an alternative, community-driven avenue to communicate with district leadership for such concerns.

“CPWL does not seek to replace statutory bodies or interfere with existing processes,” Hobi wrote. “We remain fully prepared to participate in constructive, good-faith discussions at any time and in any format the board considers appropriate. Our objective is to strengthen communication, rebuild trust, and support the safety and success of all students in School District No. 27.”

On Nov. 19, Delainey responded to Hobi in an email stating once again that the board would not meet with CPWL and that the group should use the existing steps to resolve its concerns.

Hobi told the Tribune families in the CPWL Facebook group continue to talk about incidents taking place at their children’s schools, and the group is aware of at least 60 cases in which parents feel an appropriate resolution was not reached at the school level. When cases like this are brought to the district through the other established structures pointed out by Delainey, Hobi alleges there is no result, and in some instances, no response.

Building an alternative avenue of communication with the district, Hobi claims, would allow cases which go unresolved through the district’s existing structures to be addressed in a timely manner by the district.

Delainey did not respond to specific questions from the Tribune, but sent a statement reiterating that the existing pathways for parents to raise concerns are well-established and effective. She said face-to-face, respectful collaboration between caregivers and principals is the most constructive way to resolve challenges.

Students can report concerns in their school through the erase Report It tool through which anonymous and confidential messages can be securely sent to their school’s safe school coordinator. Messages are only monitored during school hours, and in an emergency students should always call 911.