Public board condemns all use of ‘N-word’
The Greater Essex County School Board (GECDSB) has drafted a directive to staff and issued a letter to families aimed at curbing racism, harassment and bullying in school.
“No student should be harmed by words or actions of others at school,” the letter posted electronically on March 10 reads. “Students or parents/guardians who hear or learn about hateful or discriminatory acts or language should report it to the school principal, vice-principal or another staff member right away.”
The letter stipulates discrimination, harassment and bullying, proliferation of hate, the use of the N-word, the use of hateful slurs or epithets and reprisal for trying to have an incident addressed will not be tolerated.
“Students are not allowed to say, write or read out any version of the N-word (including with the “a” ending) and are not allowed to ask for a "pass” from Black students to use the N-word,” the letter reads.
It further outlines that staff are not allowed to say or read out loud the N-word.
Director of education Erin Kelly says they have been working for the last 18 months on anti-Black racism initiatives.
“There are incidents of racism, it does exist,” Kelly told CTV News Monday. “Its something we all need to be responsible for.”
The board has now issued a directive to staff about these issues, but Kelly says they also wanted GECDSB families to be aware of it and to play a role in making schools more inclusive.
Kelly is hopeful families will have discussions with their children about acceptable language and behaviour in schools.
“There’s a combination of relief and disappointment,” said Natalie Delia Deckard, the director of the Black Studies Institute at the University of Windsor.
Deckard said she is relieved GECDSB took action on the complaints coming from Black students and their families.
“White students rarely use (the N-word) anyway and the white students that do use it are doing so in a particular context. They will be disciplined. Fantastic! White staff and faculty will not use it anymore, they have clarity,” said Deckard.
But Deckard is disappointed the board doesn’t appear to be willing to take into account the Black students who are re-claiming the N-word to use within their own peer groups in a non-derogatory form.
She likens it how people use words like ‘honey’ or ‘baby’ to speak to a close friend or loved one.
“But if I go to the bank and the manager comes out and says ‘Hey baby, how are you doing?’ I’m going to be upset,” said Deckard. “Words have context and that context is shaped by the speaker and the receiver. The idea that some people in-group have a preferred vocabulary that is exclusionary outside of that group we accept in all of these different contexts.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.