Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board removes principal after a disturbing anti-Black racism event

BY PAUL JUNOR

It was an evening filled with disturbing revelations, discouraging news and disempowering stories at the Dufferin-Peel Youth Town Hall held on Thursday, December 7^th, 2023.

It was organized by three advocacy groups: Parents of Black Children (PoBC), Peel Black Collective, and Policing-Free Schools to have students share their experiences and tell their side of the story regarding what occurred on Thursday, November 9^th, 2023, at a Catholic High School in Brampton. There were panelists of former and current students who recounted in harrowing detail their personal experiences of racial incidents, racial trauma and indifference from administrators. Some students witnessed the incidents in question and recorded it on their cell phones. They answered a list of questions that were sent to them.

A media advisory issued by PoBC on Thursday, December 7^th, 2023, revealed the town hall was called in response to the distressing and deeply troubling incidents that transpired on November 9th,2023, at Cardinal Leger Secondary School. Three Black students found themselves subjected to an assault by a plain-clothed Peel Police officer who failed to properly identify herself. The three Black students were arrested by a tactical unit of approximately 30 officers while being pinned down by police reminiscent of the George Floyd murder.

The press release revealed missing information from the Peel Regional Police report. Specifically, there was no mention that one of the girls was first assaulted by a plain-clothed officer and that a tactical unit response was involved in detaining and arresting minors. The press release notes further that the entire incident was witnessed by a mother who saw her daughter being taken down in front of her eyes. It adds further, “This incident goes beyond a mere breach of safety, within an educational institution; it serves as a stark reminder of an environment marred by fear, violence and systemic oppression.

PoBC lists six demands in the press release:

1. Immediate supervision of the DPCDSB due to repeated and unabated circumstances of explicit racism.
2. A comprehensive, transparent, and public investigation of the recent events, inclusive of an examination of camera footage and witness accounts.

3.The implementation of mandatory anti-Black racism training for all staff, underpinned by measurable metrics and KPIs.

4. The complete removal of police presence from Ontario schools, ensuring accountability for any field of physical aggression.
5. The creation of a community oversight committee with the mandate to address and rectify systemic issues with the board.
6. An open forum for students and parents with the DPCDSB to address their experiences and assist in formulating a specific action plan to combat anti-Black racism.

During the town hall, current and former Black students shared their: experiences, feelings and thoughts about the racism they experienced at Cardinal Leger S.S. In addition, students who witnessed the event on November 9^th, 2023, shared what they saw and how the traumatic events affected them. The students penned a list of other demands that were read by Charline Grant. They include the following:

1. 1. Removal of the Principal at Cardinal Leger S.S.
2. That the charges against the three students arrested at Cardinal Leger be dropped.
3. Remove the suspension letters from the students charged and efforts to expel them.
4. Ministry of Education to issue Directives to the DPCDSB to address anti-Black racism, systemic and otherwise within this board.
5. Preservation of any video recordings, including those recorded by the principal and staff involved in the incident.
6. Evidence from the DPCDSB that all processes and procedures were followed.
7. Full accountability for any misconduct revealed by the investigation whether by Peel Regional Police, or Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.
8. Removal of the responsibility from the principal to determine the threshold level for a police response in schools; this has already been done at other boards including the Peel District School.

The following questions were posed to the panelists, which they answered:

1. 1. What did the Black Student Alliance at Cardinal Leger Secondary share about the experience in the school at their BSA on November 12^th, 2023?
2. Are all of these examples and experiences from students shared freely, or were any of the students coaxed, or manipulated into what was just shared?
3. As a member of your school’s BSA, what are some of your concerns about being a Black student at your school in the DPCDSB as a whole?
4. How has everything impacted you, and what do you need as a Black Student in DPCDSB to move forward?

The following questions were directed to the adults on the panel:

1. As our: mentors, parents and elders, when you were made aware of these events how did it make you feel?
2. Do you feel safe sending your children to school after learning about the situation, or any other situation of Anti-Black Racism?
3. As our: parents, mentors and elders, what do you want from DPCDSB to change?

On Wednesday, December 20^th, 2023, Peel Black Collective shared feedback from the Town Hall in an email. It revealed that at the November 27^th, 2023, Board of Trustees meeting of the DPCDDB, parents and students spoke up, the police were called, and the subsequent meeting was moved online. As well, the DPCDSB told PoBC that it will only communicate with advocates supporting families in writing.

It was announced on December 13^th, 2023, that the Principal, Frances Campese will be leaving the school as of January 2024.