Ontario education minister issues warning against 'inflammatory' content in schools ahead of Oct. 7 anniversary

Jill Dunlop sits at the Ontario Legislature in Toronto, on Tuesday, May 28, 2024.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Ontario Education Minister Jill Dunlop is advising school boards to leave politics out of the classroom in the lead-up to the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 terror attack which sparked the Israel-Hamas war.

"Our government firmly believes in the safety and well-being of all children in Ontario schools," Dunlop wrote in a memo recently circulated to school board chairs and directors of education and obtained by CTV News Toronto.

"As we approach one year since the October 7th attack, we ask all school boards across the province to uphold this principle and be vigilant in ensuring classrooms remain safe, inclusive, and welcoming for all students and staff. As education leaders, your role in upholding this principle has never been more important."

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Dunlop went on to say that the focus in schools "must always be on learning" and that politics should be left out of the classroom.

"This means our schools and school-related activities should never be used as vehicles for political protests that enable inflammatory, discriminatory, and hateful content. While everyone is entitled to their own political opinions, they are not entitled to disseminate political biases into our classrooms," she wrote.

The memo comes as the ministry launches an investigation into a Sept. 18 field trip where elementary school students from multiple schools were taken to a protest at Grange Park in downtown Toronto.

The Grassy Narrows River Run was meant to highlight the mercury contamination within the First Nation and the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) said the event was intended as an educational experience. However videos circulating on social media show some young students taking part in the march and repeating the chant, “From Turtle Island to Palestine, occupation is a crime,” after someone who appeared to be a protest organizer prompted the crowd to chant after her.

Outraged parents protested outside of TDSB headquarters earlier this week over the field trip, which was the subject of a special meeting by TDSB trustees Wednesday night. At that meeting, trustees suspended their own investigation into the incident in light of the ministry's probe.

"It is my expectation that every school board will hold itself accountable to the highest standards under Ontario’s Code of Conduct and govern with respect, civility and responsible citizenship to ensure schools are free of discrimination and harassment in every corner of the province," Dunlop wrote.

"This is particularly important as we see a distressing rise in intolerance, racism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia across Ontario, including in our schools. Everyone deserves to be safe, supported and included in Ontario’s schools."

With files from Siobhan Morris and Phil Tsekouras