Toronto high school moving in 'correct direction' after weeks of chaos, teacher says
CBC
A teacher at a troubled Toronto high school says conditions have begun to improve after 14 of her colleagues refused to work due to concerns about their safety, Ministry of Labour officials paid a visit and scores of students walked out of class in protest.
Usha KelleyMaharaj, a science teacher at York Memorial Collegiate Institute, located at 1700 Keele St., said on Thursday that the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has provided the school with a "ton of resources" in recent days in response to increasing calls for help from staff, students and parents.
"We are now heading in the correct direction, but this is going to take about two years to put us in a place where we are what I describe as a flourishing school," KelleyMaharaj told CBC Toronto.
She said media coverage has also drawn attention to the problems at the school, which has 1,300 students. There were allegations from some teachers they'd been physically threatened and subjected to derogatory language by students, and reports of fights between students in the halls and washrooms.
"It was a chaotic response at first that was ineffective. But then, like anything else, you start to figure out what you need to do. And this response isn't over," she added. "We are an example of how bad it could go very quickly if you're not careful."
Staff and students say the problems began when York Memorial Collegiate Institute and George Harvey Collegiate Institute merged at the start of the school year, following the fire that severely damaged the original York Memorial building in 2019. They say the merger threw the two student bodies together without adequate resources, preparation and upgrading of school facilities.
Twelve teachers refused to work starting on Oct. 31 and two more joined them on Nov. 1. According to a field visit report by the labour ministry, obtained by CBC Toronto, teachers alleged that the school was out of control, and in addition to feeling at risk of being assaulted, they felt the leadership at the school was lacking.
"There is a lack of stable leadership, there is no code of conduct to address student behaviour, there is no understanding of how to lock down properly, there is a lack of security around the school, there is a lack of communication between [administration] and staff," the report states.
It goes on to summarize one teacher's concerns, saying, "This worker has witnessed fights among students that occur in the hallways."
Scores of students walked out to protest against the conditions last Friday, saying the school was in chaos.
The TDSB says it's assigned a permanent principal and two vice principals to the school and they will start after the winter break. The school has more supervision and counselling supports. Efforts are underway to hire more permanent teachers. KelleyMaharaj said the school now has a full breakfast program.
Ryan Bird, spokesperson for the TDSB, said in an email on Friday that the board is responding to concerns.
"York Memorial CI has been experiencing complex issues this school year following the combination of two schools in a new environment and a number of important steps are being taken to better support and rectify the issues identified by the students, staff and families of the school," he said.
Bird said the TDSB has done the following to improve conditions at the school:
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