Father claims daughter experiences racism at Hamilton school

However, according to him, seven months later, his daughter is afraid to leave the house and has suicidal thoughts. The family says it was because of the anti-Black violence and racism she experienced at school.

The father said the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board [HWCDSB, Conseil scolaire catholique du district de Hamilton-Wentworth, traduction libre] failed to respond adequately to his family’s concerns. It now coordinates its efforts with those of community advocacy groups like Parents of Black Childrena non-profit organization, in order to make a difference.

I feel so helplesshe told CBC Hamilton on May 13, two days after meeting with representatives of the HWCDSBHamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board and school staff for more than five hours to discuss the issue.

CBC Hamilton is not naming the teenager, her parents or her school out of concern for her well-being. Radio-Canada does the same.

I am worried, not only for my child, but also for other black childrensaid the father.

A spokesperson for the school board told the CBC that it is taking the concerns seriously and reviewing its processes and practices.

Community groups present at the meeting said they were not happy with it.

We recognize that anti-Black racism exists within our school board and, as a Catholic school system, we are committed to eradicating racism in all its forms and creating inclusive and welcoming environments.school board president Pat Daly said in an email.

Allegations of violence

The father said bullies started targeting his daughter about a month into the school year.

He added that his daughter told him that people were posting photos of her online, calling her by a racist nickname and making derogatory comments about her appearance.

At this time, the father says he contacted the school. He was reportedly told that management was investigating, but that some social media accounts related to the situation had already disappeared.

He says he does not know the results of this investigation.

The harassment reportedly continued and came to a head on December 6, 2021. According to the girl’s father, she was in the toilet when two students spat on her and attacked her.

He said the incident was videotaped and shared on social media. CBC Hamilton has not seen the video. (Parents of Black Children does not share it with the media to protect the identity of the child.)

They beat her with such hatesaid the father, referring to what he saw in the video.

The incident occurred shortly after the publication of a report by the Hamilton Center for Civic Inclusionthat nearly all black students surveyed said they felt unsafe at school and had faced racism.

A concussion

Still according to the father, his daughter told him about the attack and complained of headaches. He then took his daughter to the hospital, where she was reportedly diagnosed with a concussion.

He added that the school did not contact the police and that he had to report the incident to them himself. However, the Ministry of Education requires school boards to call the police if a student assaults someone in a way serious enough to require medical treatment.

The spokesperson for HWCDSBHamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board told CBC that he was aware of the incident and that the father had contacted the police. He did not answer a specific question about why the school did not call the police.

The council’s spokesperson said it contacted the families on Dec. 14 about the incident through its parent portal, saying the administration was investigating and would enforce the charges. appropriate consequences.

Asked about the incident on Dec. 6, a Hamilton police spokesperson told CBC that two youths had been charged with assault causing bodily harm and that she found no evidence of a hate crime.

The family believes the incident was racially motivated.

The school administration said it could not comment on specific disciplinary matters.

isolated

The teen’s father claims that due to the security measures imposed by the school board on his daughter, she must now enter and leave the school through one door, avoid communication with other students and leave the school. school as soon as possible after the end of his classes.

The father also said the school board did not follow its own concussion protocol for students.

The school board spokesperson did not respond to questions from the CBC regarding concussions.

The father said the bullying has continued to get worse and his daughter has been home for a month, which is impacting her grades and mental health.

A meeting lasting more than five hours

According to the father, the school board repeatedly ignored his concerns. This is why he contacted Parents of Black Children and three other community groups.

On May 11, the family and representatives of these groups met with the director of the HWCDSBHamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School BoardDavid Hansen, and other directors.

According to the father, without the actions of these activist groups, the meeting would not have taken place.

They tried to get reporters into the room where the meeting was being held, but school board officials refused to hold the meeting in the presence of members of the media.

The meeting began around 1:45 p.m. and lasted more than five hours.

Charline Grant, co-founder of Parents of Black Children, was there. She said it was the longest meeting she had had with a school board.

She added that the school board’s equity officer was unaware of the incident in the restroom until it was discussed at the meeting. The board did not respond to questions about this.

Ms Grant said the school board was distraught in the face of anti-Black racism in its schools.

She adds that council members’ responses to questions posed during the meeting were the worst of her entire career. I left this school feeling that any black or racialized child in this school or this school board has serious problems.

Do better

CBC Hamilton interviewed the HWCDSBHamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board on concerns about the May 11 meeting.

Its president, Pat Daly, was not present at the meeting. He replies that the HWCDSBHamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board take all allegations of racism and bullying extremely seriously. He said school staff enjoyed hearing from families and community groups.

We will review our processes and practices at the school and system level, and put in place supports for the student. As a school board and as a Catholic Christian community, we recognize that we can and must do better.

Ms Grant said the generic answer from Mr. Daly further increased his frustration.

She added that the group recommended the school board ask the police to open a hate crime investigation into the incidents involving the 14-year-old, contact the Children’s Aid Society and create an equity committee.

Grant also believes the Department of Education should investigate.

On May 13, CBC obtained responses from the ministry in relation to the situation. The spokesperson did not say whether the department was investigating this particular case. The spokesperson condemned the violence in schools. He also said that while the ministry provides funding and frameworks for schools, school boards are responsible for running schools and making choices about the resources available to the community.

The father said he was worried other children were going through what his daughter went through and wanted the school board to act immediately.

What I want is for my child to be treated like any other child who can go to school and feel comfortable.

In 2020, school trustees adopted an anti-racism plan that included the creation of a committee to listen to racialized students, strengthen anti-racism training and hire an anti-racism officer. ‘equity.