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NEWS Continued from page 2 cial media and was met with a huge backlash from students at my school who harassed me for days with N-word," said Graham. ‘One went as far as to wish I would get stabbed." Henry said unfortu- nately Graham's experi- ence isn't an isolated one. phobia and anti-Asian sen- “These stories portray nt that's un- or learning or develop- ment, which are the two fundamental aspects of school "said Henry. Now, the ‘eons 2 ‘are pro- posing several steps the HDSB could take to ad- dress the issue. These mea- sures include full enforce- ment of existing policies designed to address rac- ism, mandatory racial sen- sitivity learning for any students who violate the protocols, and treating on- line incidents of racism the same as in-school situa- tions. Regional council went nn to pass a motion that urges the school board to consider the students' pro- posals. The resolution, put forth by Oakville Mayor Rob Burton and, oe by Burlington Coun. Lisa Kearns, also arene the re- gion's support for efforts by students, teachers and school boards to ensure more inclusive learning environment Rob Fatoneb, the HDSB superintendent who over- sees equity, told Metroland Media that the recommen- dations made by and Henry are “ones that we have or are already the midst of implementing in relation to our broader Human Rights Action and Accountability Plan: The Way Forward. A key area of focus for the board mov- ing into next yearis in rela- tion to the call for in- New ‘Patients wetime Family and Cosmetic Dentistry creased monitoring and ac- countability." When it comes to online incidents of racism, tough said that inne do have the ability to become involved when a student's well-being or achievement are being impacted, adding that there have been many cases where students sub- mitted screenshots of nega- hve online interactions for rector of Education Stuart Miller and senior staff met with Graham and Henry on April 29 to discuss their concerns. as pro- ductive and “he ‘students were promised that action would be taken locally, as well as more broadly," he said. "Since that meeting, both the director and my- self have been keeping the students updated on the ac- tions undertaken. One such action has been the establishment of a process to gather insights into the HDSB's response to rac- “These stories portray an environment that's unfit for learning or development, which are the two fundamental aspects of school.” ism. In June, focus groups will be established. Data gathered will be used to help further inform the board's approach to this critical issue." During the council meeting, Graham asserted that the HDSB's zero toler- ance policy for racism is “not upheld,” based on the experience she and other BIPOC students have had at school, including the re- peated use of racist lan- When asked about this, Eatough said the issue of addressing discriminatory and harmful e has been a priority for the board over the past few ~ Tyler Henry years. “All staff received man- datory training on 'Dis- mantling Racism’ at the be- ginning of the school year," he said. "A critical element to this training was the im- portance of language and the impact it can have on the safety and well-being of our students and staff." Since then, he said the HDSB has undertaken sev- eral actions to address the issue of racism, including: the development of a dis- criminatory language protocol, the aforementioned Way For- ward plan, the inclusion of goals and strategies in the HDSB multi-year plan 2020-2024 to intentionally confront racism in schools, and the revision of proce- dures used to select in- structio nal and library re- 2 noted the board also > implemented 2 weet asi initscommuni- 4 cation system that will = arantine” emails that 5 use Bate or bias-motivated ‘wort Baton said that region- al council stands ready to help the HDSB address the issue, calling Henry's re- counting ofracist incidents throughout Halton schools "a wake-l “up call.” "This is not a White Oaks issue — sys- temic," he na STORY BEHIND THE STORY: After hearing about the racism students like Alexis Graham and Tyler Henry say they're experiencing at school, we took a closer look at how the HDSB is addressing the issue now and for the future. Ca a Fy 3 a 3 i Z 2 2 x 8 8 1 WITH THIS COUPON + REDEEM CANNOT BE COMBINED WITH ‘OTHER OFFERS, LIMIT ONE COUPON 4, PER CUSTOMER, 1"This coupon is valid until June 30th, 2021 naturallyfresh.ca 416-809-6497 158 Guelph St. Georgetown Culligan Water Ask us about our customer Referral Program SANE} Rent Soft Water Spend less money on energy and detergents in your home with a Culligan Water Softener. Ask us }Ow you can save today! Get your first three months for only 7 $9.95imtn. 6 MONTHS* NO PAYMENTS NO INTEREST y 42 EQUAL PAYMENTS* INTEREST FREE 5 Mountainview Rd N, Georgetown | (905) 877-6242 gentoo 1 a SUBJECT eordyouy