Despite concerns raised by a parent, the comments from the online consultation regarding Vanier Catholic Secondary School's draft policy on same-sex relationships will be reviewed by the Department of Education.

The school council told parents at a meeting earlier this month that the online comments would be reviewed by Bishop Gary Gordon, Sandra Orban, a parent of a student at Vanier, said last week.

But Michele Royle, Education's communications director, said those comments will be examined by the department as well, and a report summarizing the feedback will be made available to the public.

Orban raised further concern that the bishop was not planning to attend Thursday evening's public meeting about the policy.

"He seems to have a lot of say and influence over the decisions that are made and how things are being done in the school,” she said.

"To fully participate, he has to come to a place where there's a dialogue that's happening with parents and people in the community,” she said.

Orban called the bishop and left a message inviting him to attend the meeting. As of Friday, she had not received a response.

When queried on this issue, Royle said the bishop will be provided the community feedback.

"The school councils have been asked to pass the community's feedback and their own feedback to the episcopal corporation, which is the bishop, and us,” Royle said.

"The bishop will be provided the information. Our approach in Education is to work co-operatively with the episcopal corporation and with the school councils to reach a common goal.

"And our common goal is to ensure that all students feel safe, welcome, and protected in all Yukon schools,” she said.

Gordon could not be reached for comment.

Orban, a born-and-raised Catholic, still has significant concerns about the new draft policy, arguing there shouldn't be a separate policy at all.

"I'd like to see the whole separate policy gone,” she said.

"I think that there should just be one policy that exists for all the schools in the Yukon.

"There's one that the Department of Education uses and that's the policy that should be used for Vanier,” she said.

A public meeting co-hosted by the three Catholic school councils on the draft policy is scheduled for Thursday evening.

It will begin at 7 p.m. at Holy Family Elementary School on Wann Road. Val Royle, the deputy minister of Education, will be in attendance.

She could not be reached for an interview today about Orban's concerns.

Controversy over the previous Catholic school policy on homosexuality exploded last February after a parent publicly raised concerns about it in a letter published by the Star.

Stories of bullying at the Riverdale school further fuelled the debate, which culminated in a public and well-attended school council meeting in late March.

At the time, the Department of Education committed to developing a new policy, hoping to have it ready for late April.

Then-Education minister Scott Kent later sent an open letter to Gordon mandating that the new policy would have to align with Yukon human rights laws.