Report blasts YRDSB trustees for 'disturbing lack of accountability' of troubled board

CTV Toronto: Report blasts YRDSB trustees A report outlining a probe into the YRDSB is blasting its trustees for a 'disturbing lack of accountability.' Natalie Johnson reports.

Many of the trustees at the York Region District School Board have failed to exhibit even a “basic understanding of their role and responsibilities as elected leaders” and others have shown a “disturbing lack of accountability” for the situation the troubled board has found itself in, a new report from two provincially-appointed investigators has found.

In January, Education Minister Mitzie Hunter appointed Patrick Case and Sue Herbert to look into the activities of the board following two high-profile incidents of racism and Islamophobia. One of those incidents involved a trustee using a racial slur to refer to a parent while the other involved a school principal in Markham posting material to Facebook that some parents said was offensive to Muslims.

In the report released Tuesday, Case and Herbert say that the trustees at the board failed to exhibit “strong and ethical leadership” and “signaled little appreciation for their individual and collective responsibility” for the scandals that have transpired involving the board.

“Regarding the two very publicly reported incidents of racism and Islamophobia, the YRDSB community - and indeed those beyond that community- needed to see strong and ethical leadership,” the report states. “The board failed to demonstrate that leadership. There was a complete absence among board members of any appreciation of their obligation to take a strong and unequivocal stand against racism and intolerance at the YRDSB. We feel compelled to denounce the board’s responses.”

In the case of trustee Nancy Elgie, who was heard using a racial slur to refer to a parent in November but only resigned in February amid an increasing public outcry, the review found that the board failed to appreciate “the gravity of the incident.”

The review said that any one trustee could “have taken a principled stand” by filing a code of conduct complaint against Elgie but all of them made the decision not to do so.

Worse still, the report said that there was a “diffusion of responsibility” from all trustees, with some of them saying they refused to file a complaint because they didn’t personally hear the slur and others saying it wasn’t their responsibility.

The review also took issue with the boards handling of the Islamophobic Facebook posts, accusing them of “completely” deferring to staff rather than speaking out.

“When we asked board members why they didn’t make a strong statement to reassure the community that the YRDSB does not tolerate Islamophobia or any religious intolerance, we were told that it was up to the director and the administration to take the necessary steps to respond,” the review states. “While that may very well be the case with respect to an investigation and potential disciplinary action, not one board member acknowledged that the board had a role to play in reassuring the community of their commitment to the school board’s value statement of ‘demonstrating equity and inclusivity in all that we do.’”

Board ‘consumed by infighting’

Case and Herbert spoke to 140 people as part of their review, including the director of education and all current trustees on the board.

They said that the board is “consumed by infighting and personal clashes” and that there exists a “culture of fear” that prevents some trustees from attempting to address important issues.

Furthermore, the report said that homophobic behaviour by some staff and board members raises concerns about the YRDSB’s ability to set a high standard when it comes to equity.

Notably, the report points out incidents involving “homophobic jokes and comments being passed between board members” and another incident in which a trustee suggested to school staff “that Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) should be discouraged.”

“The dysfunction of the board is evidenced by their use of their trustee code of conduct. Code of conduct complaints are generally used selectively and as an intimidation tactic among board members,” the report states. “We heard that the code of conduct policy was used to force a racialized trustee to make an apology for the use of the term ‘white privilege.’ However, when another trustee used a racist term to describe a parent, not one trustee sought to bring forward a code of conduct complaint.”

26 recommendations

Case and Herbert make a total of 26 recommendations as part of their review. Some of the recommendations pertain to the boards handling of racist incidents and how they can better improve equity while others pertain to the governance of the board.

Speaking with reporters at Queen’s Park on Tuesday, Education Minister Mitzie Hunter called the findings “profoundly troubling.”

“Schools are places where students come together to learn, to play, places where diversity should be embraced,” Hunter said. “My sincere hope is that the board will follow these directions and address the serious and deep-seated issues uncovered in the report, ultimately beginning the process of rebuilding public confidence in the York Region District School Board.

Hunter has released a list of eight immediate actions that the board must take as it works to implement the report’s recommendations.

Hunter said that should the board fail to take those actions in a timely fashion she will be forced to take “additional steps.”

“I will be monitoring their response very closely,” she said.

In a statement issued after the release of the report, YRDSB Chair Loralea Carruthers said that the board has already begun discussions on how to implement the recommendations and has received the message “loud and clear.

Carruthers, however, said that the report contained “some significant errors of fact” that the board has raised with Hunter, as well as a number of other points that the board is seeking clarification on.

Carruthers did not elaborate on what those outstanding issues or errors are.

“That said, we want parents and students to be assured this report will not be ignored in any way, shape or form,” Carruthers said.

The actions that Hunter has asked the board to undertake in the immediate to short term include the following: