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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Catholic trustees have yet to decide whether to take their appeal of a court decision allowing non-Catholic to serve on their board to the Supreme Court of a Canada, despite an early report indicating they would.

YCS chair Mary Vane said the board is still undecided on its next move. NNSL file photo

A recent media report quoted the Edmonton-based lawyer representing Yellowknife Catholic Schools (YCS), Kevin Feehan, saying the board will appeal to the Supreme Court a Dec. 18 ruling from the NWT Court of Appeal.

But school board chair Mary Vane said trustees haven't even met yet to discuss their options.

"(The board) will be meeting in the new year and we will be making a decision at that time," said Vane on Monday.

"There will be no decision until the end of January."

She said given the holidays, the board has not yet had time to meet to discuss what should be done in the situation.

YCS lost its appeal this month of an earlier ruling from May 2007 to allow non-Catholic school trustee candidates to run in Catholic school board elections. The decision from three justices of the NWT Court of Appeal states that a trustee of a different faith, or no faith, can serve on a denominational school board "provided that such trustee supports the public denominational education district in question in accordance with the legislation and is elected by other supporters of that district."

Amy Hacala, a non-Catholic trustee with YCS, was elected to the board in October 2003 and was re-elected in 2006. She is currently still a trustee on the Catholic school board and said last week her term is up next fall but she was not sure if she would run again.

Kevin Feehan was unavailable for comment.