N.S. school backtracks from no-uniform request for its Remembrance Day ceremony

By Cassidy McMackon, The Canadian Press on November 8, 2024.

HALIFAX – A school outside Halifax has backed away from its request that service members not wear military uniforms to its Remembrance Day ceremony.

A November newsletter from Sackville Heights Elementary in Middle Sackville, N.S., invited Armed Forces members to attend its ceremony but asked that all attendees arrive in civilian attire to “maintain a welcoming environment for all.”

Progressive Conservative Premier Tim Houston, who is currently running for re-election, accused the school’s leaders of “disgracing themselves while demeaning the people who protect our country” in a post on the social media platform X Thursday night.

In an email to families Thursday night, the school’s principal, Rachael Webster, apologized and welcomed military family members to attend “in the attire that makes them most comfortable.”

Webster’s email says some students attending the school come from countries experiencing conflict and have expressed discomfort with images of war, including military uniforms.

Her email says any students who have concerns about seeing Armed Forces members in uniform can be accommodated in a way that makes them feel safe, but she provided no further details in the message.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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