About 100 parents descended on the Burnaby school board meeting Tuesday night, upset over a policy to prevent discrimination against gay, lesbian and queer staff and students.

The ad hoc group filled the room beyond capacity, with many holding signs reading: No 5.45.

The number refers to the policy school trustees came up with to support students and employees who are (or are assumed to be) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirit or queer (LGBTQ). The policy's objective is to ensure all school community members learn to work together in an atmosphere of respect and safety "free from homophobia, transphobia, antigay harassment and exclusion, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity."

The parents' group expressed concerns that the policy was segregating children, while infringing on parents' rights to educate their children and give them moral guidance.

"This policy places far too much importance and emphasis on an issue that impacts a few," said Heather Leung, a local parent with three kids in the school system. "What is being recommended in this draft is a deliberate and systemic strategy to indoctrinate our children with a controversial moral teaching that should be left for families to decide on and wrestle through."

Leung also said the policy labels children and suggests they question their sexual orientation and sexual identity.

On behalf of the parents, Leung demanded that the policy and public hearing minutes be translated into different languages, that the district hold a public hearing with translators, and that Burnaby parents be allowed to vote on the policy.

Another speaker, George Kovacic, said the policy could "create an environment of discrimination and intolerance."

"Parents grant the education system the privilege to teach their children but they do not relinquish their parental rights when they send their children to school. If a parent says that the school must not interfere with moral teachings, the school must respect this request," he said. "Furthermore, the committee has failed to recognize that the divine meaning of human sexuality is an integral teaching of the world's great faiths," he said, questioning if children could be expelled for their religious beliefs or parents prosecuted for asserting their rights to educate their children.

The board also heard from speakers in favour of the policy, mainly school councillor Debra Sutherland and James Sanyshyn from the Burnaby Teachers' Association, both of whom worked closely with the board to develop the policy.

Sanyshyn said when the board passed the draft version two months ago, he felt welcomed and included as a gay teacher.

"Every day, since becoming a Burnaby teacher in 1997, I have heard anti-gay slurs in our school hallways - fag, faggot, queer, that's so gay, lesbo, dyke - sadly, the list goes on."

Sanyshyn also cited statistics stating that three-quarters of LGBTQ students felts unsafe in schools and heard homophobic language every day. One-quarter have been physically assaulted or harassed, and half connected a desire to kill themselves with their struggles to accept their sexual orientation.

"What if Asian youth suicide rates were 16 times higher than non-Asian youth?" he asked. "Would these communities be here speaking and demanding action? I would say yes. If they were not, I would be."

Two students also gave emotional speeches about their experiences of being discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.

Tensions were high in the meeting, with one disruptive audience member speaking out of turn, and Leung confronting Sutherland outside the meeting, saying they are using the children.

"That's ridiculous, shame on you," she said to Sutherland.

School trustee Gary Wong chaired the committee that developed the policy. Wong said he heard the parents concerns, but the trustees have to look at their responsibilities outlined in the School Act to be secular, and non sectarian,

"We have to look at ... what the laws have decided on this issue," he added. "There are a number of cases out there where school districts have not done enough in the eyes of the human rights tribunal and have actually been found at fault, and there are penalties involved."

As far as reconciling the parents' views with the intent of the policy that may not be possible, according to Wong.

"It may be very well that we can't," he said. "It's not really talking about parents not having the right to teach their children. They have every right to teach their children, but the issue is tolerance and acceptance."

The board's policy committee will review the draft, and send it back to the board for a final vote, possibly in June. The item will be posted in the board meeting agenda on the district's website, at www.sd41@bc.ca.

To read the policy, go to Jennifer Moreau's blog, Community Conversations, at www.burnabynow.com.