Claims of racist harassment at a 91原创 school are being investigated, the school district said, but the father of one student feels enough isn't being done.
Willoughby resident Niven McGregor, whose 12-year-old daughter Amy attends Dorothy Peacock Elementary School, said other students have been bullying his child, and other students of colour, with racist comments, including use of the "N" word.
When Amy McGregor first told her father about the harassment last year, she had been at Dorothy Peacock for about three years without incident.
"We've never had issues," McGregor told the 91原创 Advance Times.
McGregor said he was "very angry" and "disgusted," but counselled his daughter to wait and see, telling her "you know what, maybe it's a one-off incident."
"There was a part of me that was like, okay, don't blow it out of proportion," McGregor told the 91原创 Advance Times.
"I've also faced racial prejudice in the workplace, even in Canada and in South Africa," McGregor explained.
"But I was hoping that at least in a school environment, my kids would be in a safe space, because that's where people get educated. I wasn't expecting it to happen at middle school level. I was thinking I'm protecting [her] from racism, and lo and behold, it's happening."
McGregor said the problem has worsened, with more children involved and more incidents, the most recent on Monday, Jan. 6.
There have been "jokes of a racial nature" directed at the the physical attributes and features of not only the kids in his daughter's circle, but other minority peer groups too, he said, "like Asian and Indian for example."
On Monday, Jan. 13, McGregor and a number of supporters picketed the school to protest what they viewed as a lack of appropriate action, the day after he met with the principal and school district managers.
"I said to them [at the Sunday meeting], you guys are moving too slow," McGregor recalled. "You should have a zero tolerance approach. Yes, you have admin procedures to deal with your investigation when there is an issue. But at minimum, you should have sent some correspondence out to the parents, you should have had meetings and made it very clear that this is not on, this shouldn't continue. "
"It's not being dealt with seriously," McGregor commented.
Since the meeting and the protest, he said other parents have come forward to report similar harassment of their children at the school.
An unsigned media statement issued by the school district on Jan. 14 said "staff will continue to look into the matter," adding more details could not given because of privacy concerns.
"The District is committed to continuing conversations about racism with all members of school communities which includes students, staff, and families," the statement went on to say.
A letter to parents sent the same day by Dorothy Peacock Elementary School principal Kim Cline said "students, staff, and parents/guardians" were being interviewed about the incidents.
"The school was made aware last week of concerns raised about the use of a racist slur by students, in specific the use of the N word by students, as well as other violations of the student code of conduct happening in our school," the letter said.
"The school takes these concerns seriously and we recognize the impact these acts have had on students, staff, and families."
Planned steps include "activities that celebrate diversity and inclusion and support the multi-culturalism of the school鈥檚 student population," the letter said, as well developing a plan to include "books and literature that celebrate diversity and inclusion and support the multi-culturalism of the school鈥檚 student population" and inviting anti-racism presenters "to continue to educate students."
Parents have been invited to a school PAC meeting on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. "to learn more about what we are doing as a school community and to hear about how you can support your child."
