Shara Layne's mom was the first to address Vanier Catholic Secondary School's council last night, at the first public meeting since the school's policy on homosexuality sparked a community outcry a month ago.

Leah White grew emotional as she addressed the council – and a crowd of almost 150 members of the public surrounding her.

"I came here to talk about a restorative justice process. About what needs to happen,” she said.

In October 2012, her daughter's locker was vandalized; a derogatory word for a gay or lesbian person etched into it.

The school treated it as a simple case of vandalism – a fact White finds horrific, and she's not alone.

Other parents at last night's meeting shared her feelings. One noted that had such a hate crime been committed at a work place, it surely would have been dealt with with more fervour.

Another interested community member briefly shared her own experience as a victim of bullying, expressing sympathy for Layne.

"I don't know if you're going to get an apology from anybody, but I, as one who has had to deal with this for 25 years of my life, I'm sorry that you have had to experience that.”

But "the incident,” as it was referred to several times last night, was not the sole cause of White's frustrations.

She said she was told Tuesday night not to talk about it, because it had been dealt with.

"Thank you very much ... I'd love to tell Shara that everything has been rectified because I'm sure that she does not feel harmed at all anymore, because everything's been fixed. That's wonderful to know. I sound sarcastic, I feel sarcastic right now,” she said.

"You can't silence the impact that this hate crime has had on not only her but the kids, and I have to tell you, this community,” she continued, before once again urging the council to investigate options for restorative justice programs to address all forms of bullying.

Rick Griffiths, the next to speak, is a former head of Vanier's English department.

He shared his support for the Education department's directive that Vanier, as a publicly funded school, must adopt and implement its sexual orientation and gender identity policy.

He went on to express concern that morale among staff and students has plunged to an all-time low.

Griffiths urged the department to appoint an experienced mediator to help address divisive issues between staff and school administration.

Grade 12 student Elliott Berg encouraged the school to transition back to its more moderate roots, noting that for 20-odd years, no major issues had arisen.

Ten teachers requested transfers last year, more than 10 this year, and student enrolment has dropped 13 per cent since 2010, Berg noted.

"One of the main arguments is that right now, things aren't that bad, and other schools have had issues, and yes, I agree. Things aren't that bad right now; I'm still having a good time, I still have great teachers, great classmates, etc.

"The problem for me arises that this is just the tip of an iceberg. That we're already seeing it start to go more Catholic ... and there's nothing slowing that down,” he said.

A fair number at the meeting seemed inclined to support a return to Vanier's more moderate, open, and accepting roots. Some parents preferred to have an alternative to the public schools. One highlighted different approaches to sexual education as a primary reason.

She noted that she had witnessed a "moral decay” in the students at another public high school in Whitehorse.

"I don't believe anybody should be bullied, I believe that God loves all his children, but my hope is that Vanier, at least in terms of how sexual health is taught, will hold to some of the beliefs that God holds some things sacred, such as life and intimacy,” the parent said.

"Bullying will happen everywhere, but a school where kids can talk about God is a great gift.

"Let there be a choice for people's different beliefs, and let's just teach kids respect,” she concluded.

Daryl Sheppard, Vanier's religious education co-ordinator, also spoke.

He noted that the passages in Vanier's policy on homosexuality that have received criticism are mostly pulled from Catholic doctrine and teachings that have been around for centuries.

"There's been lots of opportunity to criticize that, but it only really blew up in the last couple of months,” he said.

He noted the implementation isn't being attacked because all that's heard is that Vanier teachers are "great” and "awesome.”

Sheppard concerned that rather than "celebrating our commonalities and respecting our differences” that "we're not allowed to have differences.

"Sexual Catholic ethics are taboo because they're tough, but if you got rid of everything that was tough out of Catholicism, it wouldn't look much like Catholicism would it?”

Others at the meeting highlighted the negativity that's abounded in the media surrounding Vanier's troubles.

They wanted to highlight the positives, noting that other schools also experience bullying, and other issues.

Vanier's hiring policy was also raised in comments.

One teacher, a non-Catholic, urged the council and department to ensure that being Catholic is not the only or even most relevant factor considered when hiring teachers.

Another expressed indignation that it was insinuated her religious beliefs were the sole reason she was recruited.

Wednesday evening's meeting was planned as a simple opportunity to listen and share concerns.

A consistent level of respect was exhibited during the event as community members, both young and old, religious and non-religious, rose and expressed exceedingly different view points – something the moderator himself noted in closing.

See related coverage and letters.