06/06/2026
❓Ideology Before Consultation❓
【Richmond School District Removes Gender Divisions and Individual Awards from Elementary Track Meets】
📢 Parents and families are encouraged to complete the survey and share their views.
📄English Survey: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/Sw9qt8FP9c
❓意識形態先於溝通❓
【列治文學區小學田徑運動會取消男女分組及個人獎項】
📢 歡迎家長及家庭成員填寫問卷，向學區表達意見。📄中文問卷：https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/2irzvB1pvV
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The Richmond School District’s decision to noticed
“gender-neutral” track events while removing individual ribbons and awards from elementary school track meets has upset many parents across Richmond.
列治文學區（SD38）近日宣布，在小學田徑運動會中引入所謂「性別中立項目（gender-neutral events）」，同時取消個人彩帶及獎項（individual ribbons and awards），引起不少列治文家長關注與不滿。
What concerns many families is not only the policy itself, but also how these changes were introduced. While the district states that a pilot program was conducted at four schools in 2025 and feedback was gathered from students and staff, many parents are now asking whether families were adequately consulted before such significant changes were implemented district-wide.
令不少家庭擔憂的，不只是政策本身，而是整個決策過程。雖然學區表示，相關安排曾於2025年在四間學校進行試驗計劃，並曾收集學生及教職員意見，但不少家長質疑，作為影響全區學生的重要改變，家長是否曾被充分諮詢？他們的意見是否在政策全面推行前被真正聽見？
According to the district’s own statements, concerns have already been raised regarding fairness, student motivation, and the overall student experience. Yet many parents are questioning why meaningful parent engagement appears to be happening only after the new format was implemented and after widespread concerns were raised across the community.
根據學區公開聲明，不少家庭已對公平性、學生參與動力，以及整體活動體驗提出憂慮。然而，不少家長質疑，為何真正面向家長的意見收集工作，似乎要等到新制度全面實施、社區出現廣泛爭議之後才正式展開。
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🏃 Competition Is Part of Education
🏃 競爭本來就是教育的一部分
Sports and competition are normal parts of growing up. Competition teaches discipline, teamwork, perseverance, accountability, and how to handle both success and disappointment. These are life skills that extend far beyond the playing field.
運動與競技本來就是成長的一部分。透過比賽，學生可以學習紀律、合作、堅持、責任感，以及如何面對成功與失敗。這些能力不單適用於運動場，更會伴隨孩子一生。
For many students, earning a ribbon, winning a race, or achieving a personal best becomes a meaningful source of confidence and motivation.
對很多孩子而言，一條彩帶、一場勝利，甚至一次突破自己的紀錄，都可能成為建立自信與持續努力的重要動力。
Students should absolutely have the choice whether they want to compete. Some children enjoy competition, while others prefer participation without pressure. But giving students choice is very different from removing recognition and traditional competitive structures altogether.
學生當然應該有選擇是否參與競賽的自由。有些孩子喜歡競爭與挑戰自己，有些孩子則較喜歡輕鬆參與活動。但給予學生選擇，與取消傳統競賽制度及獎勵機制，根本是兩回事。
Psychologists have studied this issue for decades. Albert Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy demonstrated that achievement and recognition help children build confidence and motivation. Healthy competition, when properly managed, is not harmful. In many cases, it helps students grow.
心理學界早已研究相關課題多年。著名心理學家 Albert Bandura 提出的「自我效能感」理論指出，成就感與被認可，對建立孩子的信心與學習動力十分重要。事實上，只要引導得宜，健康競爭不但不會造成傷害，反而有助學生成長。
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⚖️ Choice Should Mean More Choices, Not Fewer
⚖️ 包容不應減少選擇，而應增加選擇
Recently, School Trustee Rod Belleza noticed a motion that aimed to restore the traditional competitive track meet format while also creating inclusive options for students who do not wish to participate in competition. The notice of motion was defeated, with all other trustees voting against it.
近日，學務委員樂德誠（Rod Belleza）提出動議，建議恢復傳統競賽模式，同時為不願意參與競賽的學生設立具包容性的參與選項。然而，該項動議最終遭到其他所有學務委員否決。
Many parents are not asking for the elimination of inclusive participation opportunities. Rather, they are asking why students cannot have both options. If choice and inclusion are truly the goal, why was a proposal that sought to provide both rejected?
不少家長其實並非要求取消包容性活動，而是希望學生能夠擁有選擇。如果真正目標是包容與尊重不同需要，為何一項同時兼顧競賽與非競賽學生的方案，最終卻未獲支持？
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⚖️ Fairness Matters
⚖️ 公平同樣重要
The removal of boys’ and girls’ divisions has also raised serious concerns among parents. Biological differences between males and females in speed, strength, endurance, and physical development are real. This is why nearly every major sports organization in the world, including the Olympics and World Athletics, still maintains separate male and female categories.
至於取消男女分組，更令不少家長感到憂慮。男女在速度、力量、耐力及身體發展上的差異，本來就是客觀存在的事實。這亦是為何包括奧運及世界田徑總會在內，全球絕大部分正式體育賽事至今仍然維持男子組與女子組制度。
In recent years, athletes and public figures, including women’s tennis legend Martina Navratilova, have openly criticized attempts to ignore biological reality in sports. Their concern is simple: when ideology replaces objective standards, fairness suffers.
近年包括女子網球傳奇 Martina Navratilova 在內，不少運動員及公眾人物都曾公開批評這類否定生理現實的做法。他們的憂慮其實十分簡單：當意識形態開始取代客觀標準時，公平便會受到影響。
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🎓 Education or Ideology?
🎓 教育還是意識形態？
What concerns many parents even more is that the Richmond School Board appears increasingly disconnected from ordinary families. Instead of focusing on academic standards, educational quality, and practical student development, some decisions seem driven more by political trends and ideological positioning.
更令很多家長擔心的是，列治文教育局似乎愈來愈脫離普通家庭真正關心的問題。與其專注於學術水平、教育質素及學生實際發展，部分決策更像是在追逐政治潮流與意識形態立場。
Advance Richmond has consistently opposed the growing trend of politics overtaking education. Schools should focus on teaching students, developing character, and preparing children for the real world, not becoming platforms for ideological experimentation.
列治文前進聯盟一直反對政治凌駕教育。我們認為，學校應該專注於教育學生、培養品格，以及幫助孩子面對真實世界，而不是成為意識形態實驗的平台。
Parents are not angry because they oppose inclusion. Parents are angry because they feel ignored. They are angry because fairness, standards, student motivation, and common sense appear to be sacrificed in favour of political narratives, while families are left out of the conversation.
家長的不滿，並不是因為反對包容，而是因為他們感到自己的聲音被忽視。他們憤怒，是因為公平、標準、學生動力與基本常識，似乎正一步步被政治敘事所取代，而家長卻未能充分參與整個決策過程。
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Education should help students become stronger, more resilient, and better prepared for life. It should not teach children that competition, differences, or achievement are somehow wrong.
教育真正應該做的，是幫助孩子變得更堅強、更有抗逆能力、更有能力面對現實世界，而不是讓學生從小覺得競爭、差異與成就感本身都有問題。
Education must put students before ideology, parents before bureaucracy, and common sense before politics.
教育必須以學生為先、以家長為本，讓常識重新走在政治與意識形態之前。
#列治文 #教育 #家長聲音 #學生優先 #列治文前進聯盟
