WRDSB trustee takes issue with board’s public response to 'child abuse' claim
A Kitchener public school board trustee has released an open letter of dissent, arguing a recent communication to parents from the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) may have a “chilling effect” on those who may wish to voice concerns in public forums.
On Monday, Mike Ramsay took issue with a letter released by the board on Jan. 20, on the direction of trustees, addressing a series of concerns raised by a parent at a public meeting on Jan. 16.
The letter addressed what the board chair called “unfounded accusations of child abuse” and “misinformation” among other concerns raised at the meeting.
“I’ve never seen [this] in the history of the board and I don’t believe there’s any justification for this; for such a public response,” said Ramsay. “Why the departure from past practices?”
The WRDSB letter does not name any parent, but alludes to concerns “framed as questions” while carrying an “accusatory” tone and “coupled with inflammatory language and misinformation.” The open letter notes as the comments were made in a public forum, administration decided to address them publicly.
Ramsay names David Todor in his letter as the parent who detailed issues with a student survey which contained identity-based questions and concerns with a particular book available to the student population online. In concluding his delegation, Todor suggested the board was facilitating child abuse.
“Who is interested in knowing and affirming, celebrating my daughter’s sexual orientation?” questioned Todor. “Why is the school board facilitating child abuse and has these kinds of books available in the library?”
The board responded with an open letter explaining the surveys are voluntary and used to gather data for education planning. Staff also noted the book in question was not available to elementary students, but is available as an e-book.
Ramsay’s rebuttal takes issue with the tone of the letter, its characterization of Todor’s concerns and its public release.
“The parent was not there questioning LGBTQ rights,” said Ramsay. “They were there to talk about their grade four child, whether or not they should have access to certain books.”
Ramsay called Todor’s presentation respectful and suggested the language may be “hyperbolic” but carried legitimate underlying concerns.
“The inference I took from the presentation was that he was suggesting the board was making it easier for child abuse to take place,” said Ramsay. “Whether or not he’s right or wrong, he does have that right to come and speak to his elected representatives. We don’t have to agree with him, but we do have to listen to have we has to say.”
CTV News reached out to the WRDSB for an interview, but a spokesperson for the board declined comment.
The letter remains published on the board website and includes links to both Family & Children Services of the Waterloo Region and the Waterloo Regional Police Service for valid concerns of child abuse to be reported.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.