On Monday, the board met to discuss the report’s findings, which made 14 recommendations, including hiring black experts to address student behavior problems and modifying policies to ensure staff are disciplined for racist or discriminatory actions.
However, supporters who attended the meeting said that the discussion between the administrators and the director of education did not focus on the experiences and concerns of black families and was not responsible.
“I think this meeting was brutal,” said Alice Penny, president of the African Canadian Territory and Waterloo Association. “They did not take any responsibility.”
“Disappointing,” added Fidelia Ukueje, Nigerian president in the Waterloo area.
Although the school board has said it is considering the recommendations, Penny is not optimistic they will be implemented. Instead, he demands the resignation of the director of education.
“Something in this leadership needs to change so that systems can start to change.”
Review of the incident
On Feb. 25, the ministry began its review by third parties after it was publicly revealed that Waterloo District Police had been called to John Sweeney Elementary School for a kindergarten student in crisis last fall. The four-year-old allegedly acted violently and police said police tried to de-escalate the situation before taking the child home. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. The district review concluded last week with a report to the school committee and family. The full report has not been obtained by CBC News. He also made five recommendations to the ministry, including amending the protocols associated with third-grade kindergarten students, to limit 911 calls to ambulance service only as a last resort.
Ontario, community response required
On Monday, the council’s director of education, Loretta Noten, presented her response to the report and recommendations made by the provincial researcher.
He described the report as a plan for further action against racism against blacks, support for students in crisis and the relationship with parents.
“There is more need for work locally, but our commitment to this project and our investment in this project is not new. It has been a priority and remains a priority going forward.”
Noten said some of the recommendations go beyond the school board and will require provincial support. This includes reviewing performance appraisal and review procedures to include measures to protect human rights, promote anti-racism work and hold school principals accountable.
He said the province should also weigh the recommendation for compulsory vocational learning developed by black or racist experts.
A recommendation to the school committee to revise the classroom’s safety plan protocols on 911 caller calling would require consultation with community partners and other school committees.
Loretta Notten, director of education for the Waterloo Catholic District School Council, described the report as a blueprint for further action against black racism. (Paula Duhatschek / CBC)
Noten acknowledged that police calls on a racist student “have a different and more significant impact as a result of a history of systemic racism.”
“Black children are being criminalized very often and in disproportionate numbers. In some cases, it may be because staff follow a ‘color blindness’ approach – that is, they treat all students equally, without realizing the potential for differentiated impact,” he said. “We at WCDSB are committed to examining whatever role the WCDSB plays in this systemic reality.”
Penny said that comment was particularly disturbing.
“They are not treated equally. So for [Notten] to sit there and say it, it was very difficult to hear it “.
A ministry spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
The debate on the board lost its rating
Penny said the discussion on the board that followed was very disappointing. Managers asked many questions, but she said those that stood out were about the resources offered to affected staff, whether there were recommendations targeting marginalized non-black groups, and how the board would respond if a similar incident occurred in the future. “Why can we never focus on the problems of racism against blacks?” Penny asked. Ukueje said there was a greater focus on the individual incident than on the underlying issue – systemic racism – which undermines the frequency of such incidents. “Almost every African family you talk to has this experience of being criminalized, disrespected, not treated the same way,” he said. Paul Okoye, who is also a local lawyer, said the debate continued to return to the system. “What would it do to the system? How will it reflect the system?” he said. “Nobody asked how the child is right now?” Other questions were about the research process and who was involved, what the next steps were in terms of recommendations and how the council is working with the county to implement the changes. One student superintendent asked about the council’s plan to hire more tribal staff. Asked if it was a fair report, Notten said: “We would disagree with some of the descriptions in the report, but we are ready to accept the overall recommendations.” Notten said it hopes an update on the recommendations will be returned to administrators by September. Other recommendations for the school board include:
Hire Black Counselors to work with black families to navigate discussions and special education, discipline, academic and prosperity processes on the school board. Hire and work closely with blacks’s special education professionals to develop culturally responsive policies and support for behavioral problems. Also include information on notification, appeal and complaint procedures at each stage of the process. This process must be accessible. Establish a communication plan, support templates, and record-keeping accountability measures to ensure timely communication with families when situations arise. Develop a process that includes the collection of data related to these incidents for those in Kindergarten through the third grade. This will help find inequalities that negatively affect blacks and other already marginalized groups of students. Develop a training plan for supervisors and managers about the processes that lead to, for, and after a foreclosure. Create a different school entry group to meet with parents when enrolling in kindergarten to discuss transition needs. Develop best ways to explain to families the roles, specialists, and all the professional support information available to students. For example, occupational therapists and child and adolescent care workers. Develop policies regarding the design, arrangement of soothing rooms, and make sure that they are used for de-escalation purposes only.
Recommendations to the ministry include:
Develop provincial guidance on principals and deputy principals’ expectations for 911 intervention. In particular, give clear instructions on whether a child should leave school with emergency responders. Develop a clear direction for when principals can allow a student to be removed from school or class, as described in the Education Act. This should include information about notifying parents and the objection process. Modification of the provincial model for local police / school committee protocols for third grade kindergarten students, limiting 9-1-1 calls for ambulance service only as a last resort. Require school boards to submit demographics to the ministry when a student is away from school or class. Mandatory training is required for ministry liaisons when school boards advise on the use of exclusions. This training should include information on racism against blacks, racial profile and black youth and police interactions.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians – from anti-black racism to success stories within the black community – see Being Black in Canada, a CBC project that Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here. (CBC)
title: “Waterloo Catholic Board Response To Review Of Police Call On Black Child Lacks Accountability Advocates Say " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-12” author: “Christopher Hernandez”
On Monday, the board met to discuss the report’s findings, which made 14 recommendations, including hiring black experts to address student behavior problems and modifying policies to ensure staff are disciplined for racist or discriminatory actions.
However, supporters who attended the meeting said that the discussion between the administrators and the director of education did not focus on the experiences and concerns of black families and was not responsible.
“I think this meeting was brutal,” said Alice Penny, president of the African Canadian Territory and Waterloo Association. “They did not take any responsibility.”
“Disappointing,” added Fidelia Ukueje, Nigerian president in the Waterloo area.
Although the school board has said it is considering the recommendations, Penny is not optimistic they will be implemented. Instead, he demands the resignation of the director of education.
“Something in this leadership needs to change so that systems can start to change.”
Review of the incident
On Feb. 25, the ministry began its review by third parties after it was publicly revealed that Waterloo District Police had been called to John Sweeney Elementary School for a kindergarten student in crisis last fall. The four-year-old allegedly acted violently and police said police tried to de-escalate the situation before taking the child home. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. The district review concluded last week with a report to the school committee and family. The full report has not been obtained by CBC News. He also made five recommendations to the ministry, including amending the protocols associated with third-grade kindergarten students, to limit 911 calls to ambulance service only as a last resort.
Ontario, community response required
On Monday, the council’s director of education, Loretta Noten, presented her response to the report and recommendations made by the provincial researcher.
He described the report as a plan for further action against racism against blacks, support for students in crisis and the relationship with parents.
“There is more need for work locally, but our commitment to this project and our investment in this project is not new. It has been a priority and remains a priority going forward.”
Noten said some of the recommendations go beyond the school board and will require provincial support. This includes reviewing performance appraisal and review procedures to include measures to protect human rights, promote anti-racism work and hold school principals accountable.
He said the province should also weigh the recommendation for compulsory vocational learning developed by black or racist experts.
A recommendation to the school committee to revise the classroom’s safety plan protocols on 911 caller calling would require consultation with community partners and other school committees.
Loretta Notten, director of education for the Waterloo Catholic District School Council, described the report as a blueprint for further action against black racism. (Paula Duhatschek / CBC)
Noten acknowledged that police calls on a racist student “have a different and more significant impact as a result of a history of systemic racism.”
“Black children are being criminalized very often and in disproportionate numbers. In some cases, it may be because staff follow a ‘color blindness’ approach – that is, they treat all students equally, without realizing the potential for differentiated impact,” he said. “We at WCDSB are committed to examining whatever role the WCDSB plays in this systemic reality.”
Penny said that comment was particularly disturbing.
“They are not treated equally. So for [Notten] to sit there and say it, it was very difficult to hear it “.
A ministry spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
The debate on the board lost its rating
Penny said the discussion on the board that followed was very disappointing. Managers asked many questions, but she said those that stood out were about the resources offered to affected staff, whether there were recommendations targeting marginalized non-black groups, and how the board would respond if a similar incident occurred in the future. “Why can we never focus on the problems of racism against blacks?” Penny asked. Ukueje said there was a greater focus on the individual incident than on the underlying issue – systemic racism – which undermines the frequency of such incidents. “Almost every African family you talk to has this experience of being criminalized, disrespected, not treated the same way,” he said. Paul Okoye, who is also a local lawyer, said the debate continued to return to the system. “What would it do to the system? How will it reflect the system?” he said. “Nobody asked how the child is right now?” Other questions were about the research process and who was involved, what the next steps were in terms of recommendations and how the council is working with the county to implement the changes. One student superintendent asked about the council’s plan to hire more tribal staff. Asked if it was a fair report, Notten said: “We would disagree with some of the descriptions in the report, but we are ready to accept the overall recommendations.” Notten said it hopes an update on the recommendations will be returned to administrators by September. Other recommendations for the school board include:
Hire Black Counselors to work with black families to navigate discussions and special education, discipline, academic and prosperity processes on the school board. Hire and work closely with blacks’s special education professionals to develop culturally responsive policies and support for behavioral problems. Also include information on notification, appeal and complaint procedures at each stage of the process. This process must be accessible. Establish a communication plan, support templates, and record-keeping accountability measures to ensure timely communication with families when situations arise. Develop a process that includes the collection of data related to these incidents for those in Kindergarten through the third grade. This will help find inequalities that negatively affect blacks and other already marginalized groups of students. Develop a training plan for supervisors and managers about the processes that lead to, for, and after a foreclosure. Create a different school entry group to meet with parents when enrolling in kindergarten to discuss transition needs. Develop best ways to explain to families the roles, specialists, and all the professional support information available to students. For example, occupational therapists and child and adolescent care workers. Develop policies regarding the design, arrangement of soothing rooms, and make sure that they are used for de-escalation purposes only.
Recommendations to the ministry include:
Develop provincial guidance on principals and deputy principals’ expectations for 911 intervention. In particular, give clear instructions on whether a child should leave school with emergency responders. Develop a clear direction for when principals can allow a student to be removed from school or class, as described in the Education Act. This should include information about notifying parents and the objection process. Modification of the provincial model for local police / school committee protocols for third grade kindergarten students, limiting 9-1-1 calls for ambulance service only as a last resort. Require school boards to submit demographics to the ministry when a student is away from school or class. Mandatory training is required for ministry liaisons when school boards advise on the use of exclusions. This training should include information on racism against blacks, racial profile and black youth and police interactions.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians – from anti-black racism to success stories within the black community – see Being Black in Canada, a CBC project that Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here. (CBC)
