Ignoring the human rights of disabled students…

The York Region District School Board (YRDSB) is no stranger to ignoring the human rights of students underneath its care, let alone their parents as well. In 2016, the Province of Ontario had to step in to investigate allegations of systemic racism not just within board and political leadership but by staff as well. The board was eventually taken to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal where the tribunal ordered an apology to a black woman who was called the “n” word by a YRDSB trustee, along with this woman’s children being racially discriminated against by staff. The provincial investigators later recommended that The York Region District School Board put into place an “independent” human rights office to assist with defending the board against human rights claims. A move that the Ontario Ombudsman completely signed off on.