Jill Dunlop leaves a press conference at Queen's Park in Toronto on Feb 26. Ontario's education minister is telling school boards to keep classrooms free of "political biases" ahead of the anniversary of a Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey
Jill Dunlop leaves a press conference at Queen's Park in Toronto on Feb 26. Ontario's education minister is telling school boards to keep classrooms free of "political biases" ahead of the anniversary of a Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey
AMATORONTO - Ontario Education Minister Jill Dunlop is telling school boards to keep classrooms free of "political biases" ahead of the anniversary of a Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
Dunlop says in a memo to boards that as Oct. 7 approaches, she wants all school boards to "be vigilant in ensuring classrooms remain safe, inclusive, and welcoming for all students and staff."
She says it is particularly important as the province, including its schools, sees a rise in intolerance, racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia.
The memo comes as the Ministry of Education investigates a Toronto District School Board field trip that saw students from 15 schools attend a protest on mercury contamination that is affecting a First Nation community in the north.
Videos on social media showed some march participants chanting pro-Palestinian slogans, which prompted Premier Doug Ford earlier this week to call it a "Palestinian rally" and complain that teachers were trying to indoctrinate children.
Dunlop says the focus in schools must always be learning.
"This means our schools and school-related activities should never be used as vehicles for political protests that enable inflammatory, discriminatory, and hateful content," she wrote.
"While everyone is entitled to their own political opinions, they are not entitled to disseminate political biases into our classrooms."
This report by ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø was first published Sept. 27, 2024.
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø. All rights reserved.
Get the latest from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News in your inbox. Select the emails you're interested in below.
It’s a little-known fact that Canada’s credit unions are among the country’s stron…
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
