Family of Black 4-year-old removed from school by police sues Waterloo Catholic board
Family of Black 4-year-old removed from school by police sues Waterloo Catholic board
Family of Black 4-year-old removed from school by police sues Waterloo Catholic board
The family of a Black four-year-old who was removed from school by police has filed a lawsuit against the Waterloo Catholic District School Board.
The suit’s statement of claim alleges the board discriminated against the student because of his race and mental disability and failed in its duty to properly care for him.
The family is seeking $1 million in damages, plus court costs.
The statement of claim says the boy was subjected to ongoing discrimination at school, including isolation, intimidation and lack of supervision.
“He was told that he was not allowed to play with the other children, and he was routinely segregated from the class in a separate isolation room,” the document says.
ONGOING DISCRIMINATION
The suit alleges “almost immediately” upon starting Junior Kindergarten at John Sweeney Catholic School in Kitchener, the student’s mother started receiving calls from the school accusing her son of being disruptive and destructive.
The school further reported they could not understand the student when he spoke, asking his mother if he spoke English. English is the student’s first language.
The boy is a triplet and was placed in a separate class from his siblings, without consulting his mother, the suit says. Despite a suggestion from his mother that his sister could be asked to speak to the student if there was difficulty understanding him, the suit says the sister was never consulted.
On one occasion, the suit alleges the boy wet himself after a teacher did not believe him when he said he had to use the bathroom. It further says he was left in soiled clothes all day.
In another incident, the document says the mother was called to the school for a meeting to create a safety plan for the student, which included isolating him and a medical assessment. The claim says the mother refused to agree to the plan, but the school went ahead with it anyway.
Following that, the document states the mother contacted a child psychologist who indicated the child was too young to have any meaningful results on an assessment.
The lawsuit says in late November, after working a night shift and turning the ringer off her phone, the boy’s mother missed a phone call from the school indicating she had 15 minutes to pick up her son.
The document says the mother called the school and said it would take her 25 minutes to get there. When she arrived, she says she discovered the school had called 9-1-1 and police had arrived and taken the student home.
The suit says the student was “terrified” by the incident.
“The student was criminalized for behaviours that would not be unique to a trained behavioural team,” the claim says.
Waterloo regional police have confirmed they were called to deal with a student “in crisis” at John Sweeney Catholic Elementary School.
Police say officers worked to deescalate the situation, then drove the boy to a family member's home.
The Waterloo Catholic School Board told CTV News it has received the lawsuit and is reviewing the document, but is unable to comment further.
“As the issue involves a matter that will now potentially be before the courts, the school board is unable to comment further,” a statement from the school board says in part.
The lawsuit claims after the incident, the student and family went through significant hardships.
“The school would not allow the student to return. Each day, when his siblings left for school, the student would cry. He did not understand why his siblings were allowed to go to school and he was not,” the suit said.
The suit said the student’s psychological injuries have required, and will continue to require, treatment for many years to come.
“He has suffered severe trauma that no child should ever suffer,” the suit says.
The board has previously said its actions regarding the November police call followed provincially established policies and procedures.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is defending the RCMP’s yearslong and undisclosed use of spyware capable of accessing cell phone and computer microphones, cameras and other data as part of dozens of major investigations. Testifying before a parliamentary committee on Monday, Mendicino said the national police force's use of these tools has only be permitted in 'the most serious offences.'
Saskatoon police say a woman who had been reported missing is facing charges in the United States related to unauthorized use of identification and in Canada related to parental abduction and public mischief.
Sources close to the government's proposed $5.3 billion dental care program say the Liberals are planning a temporary solution that involves giving money directly to patients in order to keep their promise to the NDP while they work on a more permanent answer.
The organization that runs the Montreal Pride Festival says it is conducting an internal investigation after it abruptly cancelled the city's official Pride parade on Sunday -- hours before it was to begin.
A suspect already in handcuffs has allegedly managed to overpower a Toronto police officer and steal their SUV, sending police on a wild early morning chase.
Authorities in the Northwest Territories are monitoring a large 'zombie fire' that flared back up following last wildfire season after smouldering underground during the winter months.
The intense heat and humidity will break with the passage of a cold front Monday night into Tuesday morning. But showers and thunderstorms are bubbling up in advance of the cold front, with Environment Canada issuing its first severe thunderstorm warnings of the day.
Ottawa's Confederation Line LRT will be closing early on a total of 10 days this month as crews perform maintenance on the tracks, with reduced service planned on parts of the line for two other nights.
Ontario hospitals are upholding their mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies for employees as staff shortages mount to a 'crisis' with more emergency departments temporarily closing over the weekend.
Ontario's health minister said Monday that six hospitals had to close departments -- including ERs -- over the weekend, but argued that the situation wasn't unprecedented.
Quebec's chief coroner has ordered a public inquiry into the death of 26-year-old Abdulla Shaikh, who is suspected of killing the three men at random last week.
The organization that runs the Montreal Pride Festival says it is conducting an internal investigation after it abruptly cancelled the city's official Pride parade on Sunday -- hours before it was to begin.
Montreal police are investigating the suspicious death of a man discovered in a bin during recycling collection in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Monday morning.
The deputy mayor of a southern Newfoundland town says his community is running out of food as it remains cut off from the rest of the island due to the worst forest fires the province has seen in more than 60 years.
Halifax has cancelled 75 bus trips due to a lack of transit staff, and the union representing the drivers says staffing levels will likely get worse before they get better.
A weather front sprawling out of Ontario and Quebec is leading a low pressure system across the Maritimes Monday through Tuesday. Rain, drizzle and fog are expected in the region with some areas experiencing heavy rain for a period of time.
A Manitoba woman who abused and killed her daughter in one of the province's most notorious crimes has been granted escorted temporary absences from prison.
A Calgary man and woman face 33 charges for alleged drug possession in addition to alleged firearm possession that police say was for the purpose of trafficking drugs.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is defending the RCMP’s yearslong and undisclosed use of spyware capable of accessing cell phone and computer microphones, cameras and other data as part of dozens of major investigations. Testifying before a parliamentary committee on Monday, Mendicino said the national police force's use of these tools has only be permitted in 'the most serious offences.'
A mom in Chilliwack, B.C., says she was terrified after her children were exposed to an unknown irritant at a local playground that caused their skin and eyes to burn.
A conspiracy theory about 'new world order' is not a valid argument in a recent foreclosure case involving a home in Vancouver, a judge in British Columbia ruled.
