Three TDSB staff members cleared by third-party review amid allegations of anti-Black racism: board

Three staff members who were placed on home assignment amid allegations of anti-Black racism at a Toronto elementary school have been cleared following a third-party review.

The Toronto District School Board placed a principal, vice-principal and teacher at John Fisher Junior Public School, near Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue, on home assignment in March 2023 after a six-year-old Black student was allegedly separated from his peers and locked in a closet-sized room while staff tended to another student in need of medical treatment.

In an update sent to parents and guardians on Friday, the board confirmed that it has now completed its investigation into the “nearly 50 allegations” that were made and has concluded that they “were not substantiated” when it came to being in violation of any TDSB policies or the Ontario Human Rights Code.

The Toronto police had previously said that it found "no evidence" to support the laying of any charges“ in May, 2023. That decision was criticized at the time by the advocacy group Parents of Black Children, which said that it was “abundantly clear” an anti-Black racism lens was not utilized in the investigation.

"I know this has been a challenging time for the school community and most of all for the people directly involved,” Superintendent of Education Roni Felsen said in Friday's letter. “I want to thank you for your patience and understanding as we have worked through this complex process. While lengthy, it was process that needed to be carefully completed given the allegations.”

In the letter, the board said that its third-party review could not begin until the Toronto police and the Children’s Aid Society were able to complete their investigation, which only happened in late August.

The board said that the review then took “longer than anticipated” due to the large number of witnesses that had to be interviewed and some “unforeseen delays.”

Now that the investigation is complete, the board said that the teacher involved is set to return to the school in September and will have a joint Grade 1 and 2 class. The principal has made the decision to retire and will not be returning to the school, the board noted. The vice-principal, meanwhile, has been appointed to the same role at another TDSB school due to the fact that John Fisher Junior Public School no longer has an allocation for that position due to its enrolment.

“I recognize that this has been a difficult tome for students, staff and families. I am pleased that the school year can come to as close with this investigation concluded,” Felsen wrote.

The then-six year old boy’s mother previously told CTV News Toronto that she and her son were subject to dozens of instances of discrimination at the school, culminating in the incident on Jan. 31.

The mother also alleged that her son, the only Black boy in his class, was made to sit separately from his peers at a desk with unpleasant words scribbled on it.

But after the board confirmed that would look into the matter, a group of parents came forward to defend the character of the teacher responsible for the class.

“As a parent whose child was in the class of the teacher placed on home assignment, I am glad to hear that the investigation is over and that the teacher and administrators have been cleared of wrongdoing,” one of those parents, Dhruv Jain, told CTV News Toronto on Friday. “I am thankful that the teacher will be returning to John Fisher Junior Public School and while I appreciate that the administrators have opted to go to other schools I thank them for their dedication and service to our school community. I also call on the TDSB to review its internal HR processes that have seen the teacher and administrators on home assignment for the past 15 months. We now, finally, have an opportunity to heal as a school community.”