Parents question Waterloo school board about racism, children's safety amid teacher assault charges
CBC
The Waterloo Region District School Board met with the Coalition of Muslim Women Monday to discuss concerns from racialized parents about their children's safety following assault charges against a Kitchener teacher.
The executive director of the coalition says the non-profit group has gotten more than a dozen calls and messages from parents since a 52-year-old Alpine Public School teacher was charged Nov. 4 for allegedly taping up two children in her classroom.
"Lots of unanswered questions right now, lots of gaps with information that parents had," Fauzia Mazhar said. "They learned about it through the media or from people who they knew."
The parent of one of the children involved in the Oct. 22 incident told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo at the time that he felt that race was a factor in what happened to the students.
The father's identity is not being published in order to protect that of his child.
He told CBC that the school board needs to do more to protect students, including re-evaluating its hiring practices.
Similar comments flooded the Coalition of Muslim Women's hate reporting system — as did calls and messages from parents wanting more information, Mazhar said.
Mazhar said staff met virtually with about 30 parents who had reached out with concerns, only some of whom had children at Alpine Public School.
The coalition shared those concerns with the board during Monday's meeting, but also discussed how to prevent racism from happening in the classroom.
She said the coalition also recommended the board set up future meetings with parents to discuss how these incidents are handled.
"So that [parents] understand what has transpired without breaking privacy or confidentiality," she said. "It's not just about listening to their concerns but also being prepared to answer questions that they will have."
In an email to CBC, the school board said it has heard from community members, including Black and racialized families, concerned about their children's safety.
The board said staff are in the process of setting up a community session to hear from families and caregivers.
"The feedback will be aggregated to inform the next steps and maintain accountability as we move forward to ensure that we address these concerns in a systemic way," the board said. "We will make every effort to ensure people feel safe and that they can speak freely."
School is out again on the northeast Avalon, as the region continues to dig out from this winter’s biggest storm.
Wikwemikong Tribal Police Servce (WTPS) said a drop in the number of charges against teens last year, particularly boys, is an encouraging sign that early intervention programs are working.
Christian Herridge’s life has not been easy.
Ken Stannix saw a community in economic decline when he retired from a career in the military and moved home to McAdam in 2012.
When Alexe Frédéric Migneault suddenly began experiencing hair loss, they thought a haircut would be just the thing to help them feel confident again.
Members of the Métis Nation—Saskatchewan (MN-S) who had come to rely on a mental health and addictions support program say the organization should have done more to prepare for the end of federal funding that will force it to close next month.
Islanders applying for or renewing their Prince Edward Island health card after April 1 will see a new optional question about their race or ethnicity.
This winter's lack of snow and mild conditions have impacted the economics of the skiing and biking industry in B.C.'s Interior.
In this city-run seniors' building, Hamilton residents say needles, urine, feces are only steps away
When Rose Hamilton stepped into the stairwell of her apartment building one evening in January, it wasn’t the first time she says she encountered a puddle of urine and feces.
Democrats in Washington are expanding their probe into the circumstances around U.S. President Donald Trump's recent threat to block the opening of the new Gordie Howe bridge connecting Windsor, Ont., and Detroit.
Library and Archives Canada is wrapping up one of its largest digitization projects after processing roughly six million federal Indian day school records.
Canadians should learn more about the history of the land they live on, says Cindy Daniels, chief of Cowichan Tribes, as its legal counsel prepares to defend a contentious land claim involving private property, not far outside Metro Vancouver.
Nicole Chantal Pauluzzo says she almost lost two of her fingers to frostbite last month while trying to stay warm in a bus shelter in Thunder Bay, Ont.