Soon after the establishment of the new Durham District School Board (DDSB) board of trustees, an old confrontation has reared its head with re-elected trustee Linda Stone.
The trustee, who had resigned during the previous term, alleges she may be forced out from the board again.
“Are there trustees inviting the public to bring integrity commissioner [IC] complaints against another trustee? Go straight to the IC, no discussion, no questions asked, no communication. Our students, our public, our board deserves better. More wasted time and money,” tweeted Linda on Saturday.
In a series of tweets a day earlier, the trustee asked: “Are integrity commissioner complaints at school boards becoming weaponized against trustees? Money better spent in classrooms.”
“The DDSB is aware of the recent public twitter activity of Trustee Linda Stone. The DDSB does not monitor or maintain this account. This social media activity does not reflect the work of, and is contrary to the commitment, values and actions of, the DDSB, the board of trustees and the senior team. Many trustees and staff have received concerns from the community on this topic and about the harm it is causing them or the ones they love,” said a DDSB statement issued Tuesday.
It pointed out that school board trustees are elected by eligible voters in the municipal election. “School boards do not have the power under the Education Act to remove a trustee for conduct.”
DDSB said this recent activity is a distraction from the work that the board of trustees and staff are undertaking to promote and uphold the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Board’s Human Rights Policy and centre the lived experiences and identities of students, staff and community members in the work that takes place every day across the DDSB.
Linda has been vocal about discrimination in school student communities.
“The DDSB strives to create learning and working environments that are safe, equitable, inclusive, respectful and welcoming of all identities. We recognize the effects of historical and ongoing oppression, discrimination and hate because of ancestry, race, ability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, creed/religion and all other Human Rights Code protected grounds. We acknowledge past and current traumas and are committed to building a system that challenges all forms of discrimination and that supports, respects, affirms, and embraces the diverse identities of students, staff and community members,” said the statement.
DDSB pointed out that this is in addition to some of the work that has recently taken place across the DDSB to support 2SLGBTQI communities including but not limited to the board of trustees approval to include inclusive washrooms in new school builds, the MyName Initiative, district-wide virtual GSAs and GSA clubs at schools, professional learning for staff led by the Visible Everyday Committee, the board of trustees passing of the district’s first Human Rights Policy and Procedures and updates to our Learning Resource Selection Policy and Procedures to be reflective of all identities, the sharing of resources with staff, and many other initiatives and activities across the District – including past public statements in response to a similar topic and on Transgender Day of Visibility.
“The board of trustees and staff continue to actively address transphobia, racism and all other forms of discrimination and hate in our schools and workplaces,” said the statement issued by Donna Edwards, Chair, DDSB Board of Trustees, and Norah Marsh, Director of Education.