Toronto District School Board launches investigation into racism at John Fisher Junior Public School

BY PAUL JUNOR

Media attention has focused on allegations of anti-Black racism at John Fisher Junior Public School located in the Eglinton/Yonge St area.

The TDSB was informed on Thursday, March 2^nd, of anti-Black racist incidents at John Fisher P.S. Ryan Bird, Spokesperson for the TDSB stated on Monday, Tuesday 6^th, “No child should experience what has been reported, and we apologize for the impact it has had on the student and their family.”

Faridah, a PhD student and mother of three children, reported that her six-year-old Black son experienced months of anti-Black racism without nothing being done until the advocacy group, Parents of Black Children (PoBC) intervened. Faridah states, “I felt drained and confused, and you begin to doubt your child for no reason. Up to that point, I was dealing with this alone.” Faridah told PoBC that Jane Wadden, Principal of the school sometime during 2023, locked up her son in a room.

Faridah’s son is the only Black student in the grade one class out of about 30 students. He was sent to a tiny room for half an hour on January 31^st, where he was unsupervised allegedly to prevent him from communicating with another student. This was documented by her using a hidden recording device that she placed on her son.  Faridah was under the impression that her son hit another student and was sent to the office as a punishment. She mentioned that he hit the boy unintentionally.

Faridah is a new immigrant to Canada who is still in the process of adjusting to a new country. Faridah felt that she had no choice but to resort to using the hidden recording device after months of failure of the school administrators to respond to her concerns about on-going racial incidents.

In response to the revelations on Thursday, March 2^nd, the TDSB decided to launch an investigation. The Principal, Jane Wadden, Vice-Principal, Dori Antolin, and the boy’s teacher have been placed on home assignment. Ryan Bird states, “We are working to complete this investigation as soon as possible and will support the student and their family in any way we can.”

PoBC reported on Tuesday, March 7^th, that two additional Black parents have told them that their children have also experienced similar racial incidents at the school, and that they are examining details about their stories. A petition has circulated by parents of students in the school expressing support for the teacher who was sent home. There have been 80 signatures obtained so far from parents, although it has not been formally presented to the TDSB as yet.

The Ontario Principal’s Council (OPC) tweeted, “We are concerned about the negative and one-sided media coverage aimed at educators involved in investigations, who can’t comment publicly while the matter is under review.”