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Racial incidents ignored by York board, families say
Disbanding of equity committee has further fuelled criticism that diversity is being ignored in the province's third-largest public board

thestar.com
Feb. 23, 2016
By Noor Javed

A teacher who warned the class to check their bags after a black student went into a change room alone, saying he didn’t trust the teen not to steal.

Elementary school kids repeatedly called the N-word by classmates - a slur one heartbroken mother was forced to explain to her 10-year-old daughter.

A teen, beaten and racially taunted by classmates in an incident captured on video and widely reported in the news, whose family says as soon as the cameras went away so did any effort by the board to deal with it.

These are examples of discrimination parents say their children have faced in York Region public schools - incidents they say the board has failed to properly address. Faced with inaction, some have looked outside the board, including to the province’s human rights tribunal, for resolution.

A spokesperson said the board couldn’t comment on specific cases, but “we can assure you that any matters of this nature brought to our attention are taken seriously, investigated thoroughly and acted on appropriately.”

Mom Charline Grant has filed a complaint with Ontario’s Human Rights Tribunal, saying there have been too many instances where her teenage son, the only black male at his Woodbridge high school, has been the target of staff because of his race and religion.

In an interview, Grant said she grew increasingly frustrated as her complaints went nowhere, and the troubles continued. Her son has been called “intimidating” for just looking at teachers, or “angry” when he speaks out, she said.

In the complaint, she said her son was singled out by a school coach for leaving practice early to attend a religious feast - the family is part of the small religious group referred to as Israelites - and then benched the next day because he must be “full” from eating. Now “he feels like he has no rights and his concerns are not taken seriously...We are greatly concerned for (our son). This stereotype and profiling that because he is black he is automatically a thief and he is guilty is greatly concerning to us,” she wrote, referring to the change room incident.

The school board has not yet filed a response to the complaint.

The board is also facing concerns over the recent, surprise shutdown of a committee aimed to support the “board’s commitment to equitable and inclusive schools and workplaces,” leaving many to wonder just how serious it is about serving its diverse population.

“Everything is swept under the rug,” said Shernett Martin, executive director of the Vaughan African Canadian Association, herself a certified teacher who has written curriculum for university students on inclusion.

“The board purports to be about inclusive education and equity,” but nothing is done. “What has been happening in the board has been going on for far too long, and it’s wrong.”

Charles Makuto, whose son was videotaped being assaulted and called the N-word by a group of teens at Sutton District High School in 2014 told the Star in a recent interview he felt “the board didn’t do enough” such as offer the counselling it promised.

“Nobody wants to rock the boat,” said Makuto, whose son’s case was settled at the human rights tribunal.

A board spokesperson said he couldn’t speak to that specific incident, but said “inclusive schools and community services teams were deployed at the school.”

According to the Vaughan African Canadian Association, at least half a dozen black families in York Region are considering a class-action lawsuit, frustrated the board has been indifferent to their concerns. The Star independently talked to five families who expressed concerns about discrimination their children had faced in schools.

Martin said she had been requesting a meeting with the board for months, but only heard back after the Star began its investigation.

“Even after the (Sutton) incident, and the amount of phone calls and emails and meetings, nothing came of that. Something as huge as that, all over the media, and nothing happened,” Martin said, noting that at the time, she’d been contacted by the Nation of Islam and Black Panther groups in the U.S. who wanted to come here to protest.

One former York trustee, who did not wish to speak publicly, wondered if the board is struggling to keep up with an ever-growing and more diverse population than it has served in the past. The trustee believes the board means well, but is failing to address the issue.

In more than a dozen interviews, staff, parents and community members told theStarthey are concerned the board appeared to be deliberately targeting policies, committees and programs meant to ensure a more equitable experience for students and staff.

York school board director J. Philip Parappally said equity is one of the foundational principles of the board, and that it has made “no significant changes” to such programs or policies other than to add resources and improve co-ordination.

In an email response to the Star, director J. Philip Parappally said equity is one of the foundational principles of the school board, and that it has made “no significant changes” to such programs or policies other than to add resources and improve co-ordination.

However, one contentious decision came last December when the board cancelled the “Every Student Counts” student survey, similar to one routinely conducted by the Toronto public board to create targeted supports for groups of struggling kids.

York board chair Anna DeBartolo announced the news in a letter to members of the Equity and Inclusivity Committee. Members said the letter came after work and meetings with community members and religious leaders to get them onside. Previously, she had publicly stated it was merely “on hold.”

In the letter, obtained by the Star, DeBartolo told the committee, which pushed for the survey, that the board would only “collect additional student demographic data when the Ministry of Education mandates such a survey.” It’s unclear if the ministry will take such a step, though it is studying how it could be done.

The board has also cited the survey’s high cost, around $311,000, as a reason to kill it.

In an interview in 2014, DeBartolo told the Star it was “on hold” until trustees had more details on which questions would be asked and how to protect student privacy. Board director Parappally told the Star the survey was cancelled before he was hired. He took the job in mid-2014.

In the letter, DeBartolo also announced the sudden dissolution of the equity committee itself - just one year into its four-year mandate and after a rigorous process to bring volunteers on board.

“The committee was dismantled without much notice,” said Alick Siu, a community member, who had put forward a motion with fellow community member Vidya Shah at the fall meeting endorsing the need for the survey. “When that happens, people may do speculation, which is not good for the board.”

According to emails obtained by the Star, committee members were vocal in their frustration.

“The parents and community partners I have spoken with have expressed concern that policies and practices (of the board) do not actually reflect diversity and equity in ways that respond to their children fairly,” said one exchange in October from a member who asked for anonymity for fear of reprisal. “...If we were to do the Every Student Counts survey, it would provide us with more accurate data.”

Parappally told the Star the committee is being reconstituted to make it more “effective” and add representatives of communities like the LGBTQ. But members of the past committee said the new one appears to have “diluted” goals, and will have four meetings a year instead of six.

“When you don’t have data, you don’t know the problems you are dealing with,” said Siu.

Renu Mandhane, the new chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, said many public institutions are moving toward data collection. “Most school boards are moving in this direction, so it is sad that the York school board is taking a step backward when they had initially publicly supported it.”

Son endured racial slurs, religious intolerance, mother says:

Charline Grant has outlined allegations of racial and religious discrimination she says her son has faced at his York Region high school in a human rights complaint against the public school board.

The York Region District School Board did not wish to comment on the case because it is before a human rights tribunal. The unproven allegations include:

High-profile incidents:

In recent years, the board has had a number of high-profile incidents that made headlines.

Schoolyard bullying:

Charles Makuto, with son PJ, told the Star he felt the York school board didn't do enough to help his son after he was called the n-word and assaulted by other teens at Sutton District High School in 2014. The incident was caught on videotape.

PJ Makuto was punched and kicked and called the N-word by four youths at Sutton District High School, an incident that was shared on social media in 2014. Four accused boys went to court, where they received a peace bond, said Makuto’s father Charles in a recent interview. Charles said his family felt “there was no other alternative” and took the case to the provincial human rights commission, where they came to a confidential resolution. He say’s the high-profile incident has left a “deep scar” on his son and that the board did not offer him the support he needed at the time. The board said they could not comment on this incident, but the “inclusive schools and community services teams were deployed at the school, and programs and initiatives put into place.”

Twitter hate:

A Richmond Hill high school teacher, Michael Marshall, was fired in September after a 10-week investigation found he had posted tweets online that were considered Islamophobic and racist, including: "I get sad when girls I teach decide to wear the hijab. I feel like a failure." At the time, Superintendent of equity, Cecil Roach, told the Star “We want our pupils to feel respected and safe. Those are not just words we use,” and the board promised a “thorough investigation.”

Confederate flag:

A York Region high school banned students from wearing anything displaying the controversial Confederate flag after the items became popular there in 2013.

In 2013, the principal of Sutton District High School implemented a ban on the Confederate flag in school after it was becoming increasingly popular on bandanas, lighters, belt buckles and backpacks. The school informed students about the ban after explaining the historical significance of the controversial flag - synonymous with America’s deep south and racism - but some students said they would continue the practice saying it was part of their “heritage.”