The Waterloo Region District School Board claimed its statements were taken out of context but refused to apologize.
BADEN, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) -- An Ontario school board refused to apologize for its staff training linking "family" to white supremacy.
In a June 6 statement, the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) defended its staff training program that linked the term "family" to white supremacy, claiming that the statements were taken out of context.
"We are aware that a recent article has caused concern regarding the use of the word family at a WRDSB school staff meeting that occurred in November of 2023," the statement read. "At this time, we want to take a moment to clarify the context and provide reassurance that in the WRDSB we value and prioritize families.
"The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) believes parents, families and caregivers are important and vital partners in their child’s education," WRDSB wrote. "We are committed to working together to provide the best education possible for all students."However, the school board refused to apologize for the program, instead claiming that its statement condemning the term "family" was taken out of context.
According to WRDSB, "excerpts shared were part of a larger professional development session designed to deepen understanding around language, systemic bias, and how we can work together to ensure all students and families feel seen, respected and included."
"The session explored how different communities may experience public institutions differently, and how educators can be thoughtful and inclusive in their communication," the statement continued. "These discussions are part of our ongoing commitment to human rights, equity and learning."However, the statement failed to explain why one slide of its presentation claimed that the term "family" is viewed as “harmful by our racialized students.”
The presentation, leaked to independent media outlet Juno News, further claims that the term family implies “positions of (male) authority and hierarchy” and “a nuclear family structure” that is “not the same for everyone.”
Other slides provided by Juno News reportedly share quotations from a left-wing book titled Culturally Relevant Pedagogy by Laura Mae Lindo. In her book, Lindo claims that “family” is one of the “key words and phrases (used) to promote the dominant culture.”
Later in the training, another slide lists “characteristics of white supremacy culture,” such as “objectivity,” “perfectionism,” and “individualism.”
Yet another slide argues that additional signs of white supremacy include asking for evidence to support claims of racism and asking for examples of racism toward white people.
While Canadian schools and school boards have becoming increasingly hostile to pro-family values, parents and students are fighting back. Last week, Alberta announced that it is going ahead with plans to ban books with sexually explicit and pornographic material, many of which contain LGBT and pedophilic content, from all school libraries.
