Peel District School Board receives failing grade on anti-black racism report

BY PAUL JUNOR

The release of the final report on Friday, March 13^th by the Ministry of Education concerning anti-black racism by the Peel District School Board (PDSB) was highly anticipated.

This release, which came five months after it was launched, provides observations and recommendations pertaining to issues of: human rights equity, anti-black racism, human resources practices, leadership and governance and trustee conduct.

The report which is available at the Ministry of Educations website detailed the ways in which anti-black racism affects black students. Issues include: higher suspensions, expulsions and detentions rates, lower enrolment in academic courses, overrepresentations in applied courses, lack of diversity among guidance staff, and poor leadership and trustee relationships. Overall, the report gave the trustees a failing grade in many areas.

The Minister of Education Stephen Leece noted in a news release on March 13^th,

“The Government of Ontario will consider this report, its recommendations and the resulting ministerial directions as it works to develop a broader province-wide policy. The accounts of systemic racism and discrimination documented in the report are deeply troubling and will not be tolerated after decades of inaction. I want to see swift implementation of my directions to drive the necessity and positive change that students deserve.”

The Minister’s statement shows commitment to ensuring that immediate changes are set in place to bring equity. According to Jamil Jivani, Ontario Advocate for Community Opportunity, “It is clear that immediate and robust action is needed.”

The announcement by the Minister is an important step towards building a public school system that gives a child regardless of race, background, or postal code a fair start in life. The Minister of Education in his response to the report came up with 27 ministerial directions, which include deliverables, timelines and expectations that he mandated that the PDSB must comply with. These were necessary to ensure that there is accountability and authenticity in fulfilling the directions.

Stephen Leece mentioned in the news release, “The Government of Ontario is positioning the PDSB to immediately strengthen its governance and leadership practices to focus its attention on ensuring that all PDSB students can realize their full potential in classrooms and schools where they are supported, respected, valued and welcome.” This is truly visionary in scope.

The PDSB had a closed meeting on Tuesday, March 24^th to respond to the ministry review. The public was not present due to the coronavirus pandemic but it was live-streamed. The meetings agenda and the closed meeting can be seen at www.peelschools.org/trustees.

The ministerial directions focused on: ensuring there is a regular report on equity, a diversity audit plan in place, a learning plan for senior staff on equity and anti-black racism, as well as a collection of race-based data on suspensions.

In the light of the harm to the community, particularly to the black community, the Board shall give full and fair consideration to making a responsive and respectful apology. There is much to look forward to in the coming months from the PDSB as it puts these directions into actions. These positive steps will go a long way in bringing equity, justice and fairness.