Ontario Principals' Council denies mistreatment, is 'confident' child was never locked in room

A group representing the staff accused of detaining a 6-year-old Black child within a closet-sized room in a Toronto elementary school is rejecting the allegation that the child was isolated, saying it is concerned about “deliberately false narratives.”

“We are confident that once this incident is thoroughly investigated, the evidence will show that the student in question was never placed in the room […] let alone with a closed or locked door,” the Ontario Principals’ Council said in a statement.

The child’s mother, along with the advocacy group Parents of Black Children, has publicly alleged that the Grade 1 student was the victim of anti-Black racism at John Fisher Junior Public School, and that on Jan. 31, the child was locked in a small room off the school office for 30 minutes while administrators tended to another injured child.

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) launched an investigation into the complaint last week, placing the principal, vice-principal, and a teacher on home assignment and apologizing for any alleged instances of discrimination. The Council said Wednesday it is “troubled” by the board’s apology, given that the investigation is incomplete.

“When reports of this nature are brought to our attention, we have no option but to take them very seriously, a TDSB spokesperson responded Thursday. “While we recognize the impact these steps have on the students, staff and families involved, we are working to investigate as soon as possible and take the necessary time to fully understand what occurred which includes hearing from the staff involved.”

Parents of students in the boy’s class have signed a petition in support of the teacher, who they insist has “worked hard to create a safe learning environment for all of our children.”

“It’s very stressful, finding out that other parents are ganging up against me,” the boy’s mother said Tuesday in response to the petition. “Having good experiences as white parents with the teachers, it doesn’t negate my experience as a Black person.”

Joy Paterson, the mother of a Black girl in the boy’s class, told CTV News Thursday, “I understand the importance of taking the allegations seriously, but there are two sides to every story.”

“As a mother of two young Black children in the school, my concern is my children will now lack the opportunities to receive the support they may need from educators as the staff may fear the misinterpretation of their good intentions.”

The Ontario Principal’s Council said it supports eliminating systemic racism in public education and is calling for a fair and transparent investigation.

In response to the council’s statement disputing the child’s version of events, Parents of Black Children said it does not second-guess allegations of racism.

“We support the mom and we believe the child.”