Montreal-area school board releases report into discrimination after video of teenagers in blackface
A 143-page report into policies at a school board in the Montreal area has found that many students feel discriminated against based on their religion, sexual orientation and race.
The Lester B. Pearson School Board commissioned the report after two girls at John Rennie High School in Pointe-Claire were caught on video in blackface using vulgar, racist language last year.
The board said the video made them realize the need to improve the learning and social; experiences of its diverse student population.
Among the key strategies are teaching tolerance of different religions, teaching more about holidays celebrated by religious groups that aren't just Judeo-Christian, and having speakers that come from different cultural communities.
"I think it's important, not just in schools, but in all corporations, in all organizations," said task force chair Dr. Myrna Lashley. "We have to do some self-examination, we've got to stop gazing at our navels and assuming that everything is fine the way it is. We know it's not."
The report also highlights that there are inconsistencies in the gender language in LBPSB bylaws.
"It is not only important for youth to feel included, respected and cared for by being referred to by their chosen name and correct pronouns, it is important for youth to see gender-inclusive language used within their environments," the report reads.
The report recommends, as a result, updating documents and advising teachers that the should use gender-neutral language in classrooms.
Later, the report recommends gender-neutral washrooms and updating pictograms on the facilities.
"We have a collective obligation to continue educating our students about the dangers of letting injustice as well as racist and discriminatory attitudes of any kind to prevail and go unchecked," said LBPSB chair Noel Burke.
The board said it wants all its schools to study the report and put in place an action plan by late fall.
The mother of the boy who was the target of the racist video filed a human rights complaint against the people who made the video and aksed that blackface be declaired a hateful symbol.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Live updates: What star witness in Trump hush money case has said on the stand so far
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
When you have a moment's notice to evacuate, what do you take?
Knowing what to have at home, or take with you for an evacuation, can be useful and even life-saving.
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.’s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease’s progression.
Canucks' Soucy suspended 1 game, Zadorov fined $5,000 for post-game crosschecks on McDavid
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been suspended for a game and another was handed a hefty fine after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sues for defamation over National Enquirer, InTouch Weekly stories
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sued the parent company of the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly on Monday for a story that she said falsely claimed that she was trying to help the Menendez brothers get a retrial after they were convicted of murdering their parents.
Wildfire smoke drifts across Canada, over parts of U.S., prompting air quality advisories
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
'A great victory for the industry': Taxi drivers celebrate ruling that found City of Ottawa negligent in allowing Uber to operate
An Ontario Superior Court judge has ruled that the City of Ottawa was negligent in its enforcement of the city's taxi bylaw when it allowed Uber to begin operating in 2014, harming the city's established taxi industry.