Former Alberta Catholic School Trustee Appeals Court Decision on Social Media Post Sanctions

Red Deer Catholic Regional School Board trustee Monique LaGrange. Courtesy of Candice Nadeau

A former Red Deer, Alta., Catholic School Trustee says she has appealed a court ruling that upheld sanctions against her following her social media post on gender issues.

Monique LaGrange was sanctioned by the Red Deer Catholic Regional School board on Sept. 26, 2023. Sanctions included requiring LaGrange to take sensitivity training, a ban on making public statements or speaking with the media, and a prohibition on representing the board in any official capacity.

The discipline stems from a social media post by LaGrange posted on Aug. 27, 2023, depicting children waving Pride flags below a photo of children waving Nazi flags, with the caption “brainwashing is brainwashing.”

The board said the post violated its values and code of conduct and required disciplinary action. LaGrange was then disqualified from her position in November of 2023 for not adhering to sanctions regarding social media posts.

The Court of King’s Bench Justice Cheryl Arcand-Kootenay upheld the board’s position in a decision released in November 2024. She did, however, overturn a sanction requiring LaGrange to take sensitivity training, saying it appeared redundant.

LaGrange filed her appeal on Jan. 15. She told the Epoch Times in a Jan. 21 interview that she hopes her experience can help others that “are being targeted because of either what they believe in or what they stand for.”

“I think my story has encouraged people to take a step out,” she said.

LaGrange contends in her appeal documents that the Court of King’s Bench erred in affirming the sanctions as “reasonable.” She is requesting the decision be overturned and the board’s sanctions quashed.

The Epoch Times attempted to contact the board but did not hear back by publication time.

Dorraine Lonsdale, the board’s vice-chair and official complainant against LaGrange, previously told The Epoch Times the board’s policy requires schools to model Christian faith and values, while being “comprehensive and holistic” in its approach to inclusion and other issues, including relationships and human sexuality.

Lonsdale said LaGrange’s social media post “undermined” the commitment to inclusion and was “contrary” to Roman Catholic teachings.

LaGrange argued in her request for judicial review that she was expressing her opinion about “an ideology she views as insidious, pervasive and manipulative,” and that her intention was to “protect children from indoctrination.” She added it was not “reasonable” to assume she was comparing the schools’ inclusion initiatives “with death camps.”

Chair Murray Hollman said last November that the board was “grateful” for the court’s decision and that the ruling reaffirmed the board’s commitment to an “inclusive and respectful environment” for students and staff.

He also said it underscored the importance of board policies and the collective responsibility for trustees to uphold them.

Carolina Avendano contributed to this report.