“It is not enough!” Waterloo Regional Catholic School Board; do better for our students

BY PAUL JUNOR

Media attention has been directed to the Waterloo Regional Catholic School Board  (WCDSB) in the wake of its handling of a four-year-old Black boy, who the police were called on to deal with after an altercation.

The Ontario Ministry of Education initiated a third-party investigation on February 25^th, 2022, in order to get to the roots of what occurred at John Sweeney Catholic

Elementary School. The report is intended to provide an objective analysis of the circumstances surrounding this event, and with the mandate to recommend actions to the board to ensure it never happens again.

The family has since received the report, and it was discussed at a board meeting on Monday, April 4^th, 2022, in a report by the Director of Education to the WCDSB’s board.  It provided background with respect to what occurred on Monday, November 29^th, 2021, after a 911 call was made in response to a four-year-old Black boy in crisis. Subsequently, on Wednesday, February 23^rd, 2022, a complaint was lodged against the WCDSB regarding the incident, and the media was informed of the details.

After extensive coverage on social media, the decision was made to launch an inquiry on Friday, February 25^th, 2022. A subsequent media release by Minister Leece states, “Under no scenario should police be called to remove a four year old.”

Director of Education, Loretta Notten released a statement on March 31^st, 2022 that states, “We deeply regret the obvious hurt and distress caused to this young child in our care, and to his family, and indeed the Black community. I want to assure the family, and the community, that we are committed to doing better. We will do what needs to be done locally. We will also highlight the changes that need to happen provincially to support students in crisis.”

Some of the 14 recommendations include the following:

• Hiring Black consultants to work with Black families to navigate school board conversations and processes for special education, discipline, academic, and well-being
• Hiring and working closely with Black special education experts to come up with culturally reflective and responsive procedures and supports to address school-identified behavioural concerns, including clear notification, appeals, and complaint procedures for families at each stage
• Making it a policy that 911 calls only be for ambulance services and the last resort for kids from kindergarten to grade three, including a clear and mutually-agreed-upon timeline by the school and families when emergency support should be used after contact with parents/guardians is not possible
• More rules around school exclusions, like collecting demographic data and accountability for school administrators
• Develop local protocols for: designs, regulation, and content of containment/ calming rooms

The advocacy group, Parents of Black Children (PoBC) has expressed dismay with the report as it feels it does not go far enough to affect systemic and long-lasting changes.