An Open Letter to All School Board Trustees in Ontario

by Debbie L. Kasman in


Dear Ontario School Board Trustees, As you are no doubt aware, in March 2019 the Ministry of Education released the Peel District School Board (PDSB) Review, which shows extreme dysfunction, governance issues, and systemic discrimination in the PDSB. The issues are so severe that the director of education was terminated and the Board placed under Supervision. The Reviewers wrote that the policies and practices that are creating, perpetuating, and reproducing inequities, need to be exposed, challenged, and dismantled.

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Ontario government's response to discrimination in education is ineffective and discriminatory

by Debbie L. Kasman in


Dear, Mr. Dhir. Since my last letter to you, the provincial government has passed Bill 197, the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2020. Parts of the government’s equity “plans” are buried within this Act. Other parts of the government’s equity “plans” were announced to the Toronto Star. None of the changes to the Act or announced in the media address the trustee situation, some of the changes won’t address systemic discrimination properly, and some of the changes won’t address systemic discrimination at all. I also believe parts of the government’s response are discriminatory.

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Letter to the Ontario Human Rights Commission

by Debbie L. Kasman in


Dear Mr. Dhir, I wrote to you on June 9, 2020, after reading the letter you wrote on behalf of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) to Education Minister Stephen Lecce on June 5, 2020 about the Peel District School Board (PDSB) Review. Today, I am writing with other significant concerns including the PDSB’s decision to launch a Strategic Lawsuit against Public Participation (SLAPP) suit against the community agencies that have been speaking out in support of Black students.

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