Dear Editor
Re: Parent calls out discriminatory practice, Burnaby NOW, May 27.
Do I laugh or cry? This parent of a private school student is crying foul because the City of Burnaby hires public school students before the private school students. This is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. He complains of this so-called discrimination, but he does not see his private school discriminating, too. A private school administrator can decide who or who doesn’t attend his school. They do not typically accept special-needs or weak students; in fact, many private schools have entrance exams and only take the strongest students.
Why shouldn’t the City of Burnaby have the same right to choose who they hire. He claims to pay his taxes and feels private school students are being treated as second-class citizens (quoted in your paper May 27). Well, I pay taxes towards his private school (funding 50 per cent) yet I don’t have equal access to that private education if my child is academically weak or physically or mentally disabled.
I would encourage the City of Burnaby to continue hiring public school students first for volunteer work.
Aldina Isbister, Burnaby
