Teacher who wore blackface to school 'no longer employed' by TDSB, superintendent says
CBC
A teacher who wore blackface to a high school for Halloween is "no longer employed" by the Toronto District School Board, a superintendent says.
Debbie Donsky said in a letter home to parents, caregivers and students on Wednesday that the board investigated the incident at Parkdale Collegiate Institute on Oct. 29
"The investigation is now complete and the appropriate consequences have been applied. I can confirm that the staff member is no longer employed by the Toronto District School Board," Donsky said in the letter.
The board placed the teacher on home assignment pending the outcome of the investigation, she said. The teacher has not been identified.
"As we said in our first letter informing you of this incident, caricatures of peoples' race or culture are not appropriate and are offensive and hurtful. Regardless of whether this was intended or not, it was racist and dehumanizing," Donsky said.
"Anti-Black racism, including Blackface, and all forms of discrimination, contravene the school Code of Conduct and multiple TDSB policies and procedures. Staff or students who engage in racist and discriminatory behaviours can face serious consequences."
The incident made headlines and caused an outcry among parents and students. Last Saturday, a rally was held outside Parkdale Collegiate Institute calling for an end to anti-Black racism at Toronto schools.
Parents and students demanded at the rally that the teacher be fired.
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, which represents teachers across the province, could not be immediately reached for comment.
WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse.
It’s been hard to keep track of how many legal challenges and active court proceedings the United Conservative government has tried to quash or pre-emptively block in the last six weeks, but let’s try to tally:
Margaret Walker, the emcee of a Waterloo vigil commemorating the victims of the Montreal massacre, doesn't feel enough is being done to reflect on the killings and address gender-based violence.
The P.E.I. Humane Society says it is doing far more fundraising than it used to, and rising expenses — including the cost of animal medications — are a big reason why.
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.
Six months after passing a law aimed at making it easier for new grocery stores to open, Manitoba's premier says lower grocery bills could be on the horizon.
Timothy Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Landon Waddell, and shouldn't be found guilty of manslaughter, his lawyer says.
Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century, with the operator announcing Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.