'This is not acceptable': More allegations of racist bullying at Montreal-area school
A Quebec woman is planning to open a complaint with the Quebec Human Rights Commission over the response of her son's elementary school to what she called racist bullying from other students.
"This is not acceptable, no one should be going through things like this," said Noemi Teran, whose 11-year-old son attends McCaig Elementary School in Rosemere, north of Montreal.
"I'm not getting treated like the other students in the school," said her son, who Teran requested not be named publically. "People say racist comments about me."
Teran is working with the Centre for Research Action on Race Relations (CRARR), a local advocacy organization that is filing the complaint on her behalf.
It would be the second complaint filed by the CRARR involving McCaig in the last five years.
In 2017, another parent filed a similar complaint against McCaig's board, Sir Wilfred Laurier, which was upheld by the commission. In 2020, it told the school board to pay Adrienne Charles $30,000 for the alleged bullying her sons faced at the school.
"Racism slurs, name-calling, the N-word, Black people [being] compared to gorillas" were among the forms of bullying Charles said her sons experienced.
CRARR Executive Director Fo Niemi says the case is now before the Human Rights Tribunal.
"How many more cases do you need to basically say that there's a problem?" he said on Saturday.
Teran says she feels education staff are not taking her complaints seriously.
"They roll their eyes, they trivialize it, as if it's not serious," she alleged – claims echoed by the CRARR in a Friday press release.
CTV News reached out to the school board, which denied the allegations.
"We disagree with the allegations and wish to state in the strongest terms, that they do not reflect our values, position, nor our standards of educational practices," wrote board spokesperson Maxeen Jolin in a statement.
"At the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, we believe in and promote equity, inclusion and diversity. The CRARR has not communicated with us to validate the accuracy of any of these false allegations that do not reflect the facts."
"We do not and will not stand for discrimination against any individual or group, and we firmly believe that diversity is what makes us unique and stronger," Jolin continued, adding that the board was not able to provide further comments due to "confidentiality obligations."
Teran, assisted by the CRARR, says they are in the process of gathering evidence to support their complaint before approaching the commission.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.