School board trustees sanction colleague, despite public notice that meeting was cancelled

When uniformed Windsor police officers were called to clear the Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) gallery on Tuesday, they informed attendees that the trustees were going home and the meeting they came to observe would not be happening.

However, this was not the case.

The special meeting, called to address four code of conduct complaints against Trustee Linda Qin, was held in a separate room where sanctions against her were decided.

Chairperson Gail Hatfield told CTV News on Wednesday that the decision to relocate was made for safety reasons, with supporters of Qin heckling trustees.

“There was a motion on the floor when the booing started and I felt I had to recess the meeting,” Hatfield said. “There was no respect from the crowd. And I know that some trustees felt unsafe, and I know I did as well because I've been targeted as chair.”

Approximately 35 members of the public attended the meeting.

Those supporting Qin align themselves with her on issues around gender policy, Christian representation, and parental involvement in curriculum matters.

As the meeting was called to order at 4:30 p.m., Hatfield informed trustees and the gallery that rules of decorum were expected to be followed.

“It was a difficult thing to deal with to begin with and they just made it more difficult for the trustees,” she said.

Qin remained in the boardroom with her supporters as the trustees gathered elsewhere in the building.

Hatfield said she personally tried to bring Qin along, which Qin confirmed to CTV News, but in the end, Qin was not present as the board decided what action to take on the complaints against her.

Unlike the boardroom, there were no live stream cameras in the room where the meeting continued.

However, the proceedings were recorded and uploaded on Wednesday to the GECDSB’s YouTube page.

Trustee Linda Qin told CTV News that she had not been formally notified of the decisions made, but that another trustee informed her.

“I asked if I got sanctioned and she said, ‘Yes,’ but she didn't tell me in detail,” Qin said.

She was, in fact, sanctioned.

Sanctions

Trustees ruled to bar Qin from sitting on or attending committees of the board that involve members of the public for the remainder of her current term, which lasts until November 2026.

Qin was also barred from participating in four regular board meetings in September, October, and November.

Hatfield said Qin will be formally notified within two weeks of Tuesday’s decisions, after which time she has another two weeks to respond.

“If she decides to make submissions with regard to the decisions, then the trustees will have to meet again to either confirm or revoke the decisions that we made based on her submissions,” Hatfield said.

Qin stated that she does intend to appeal the sanctions.