School board meeting gets heated over move to make renaming review document public

The Waterloo Region District School Board meeting Monday got into a heated debate over whether to release the full report on a review of school names.

Trustee Cindy Watson introduced a motion to make the Ad Hoc School Naming Review Committee Research Report public.

Watson said releasing the report was about being "open and transparent" with the public.

“The reason why I’m bringing this up now is because the public has been asking me for information. And I had to admit to them that I didn’t even have the information they were looking for,” Watson said.

“As publicly elected individuals, this motion is about being open and transparent to the public," she continued, adding that people "resent being excluded."

"This has been the most divisive board that I’ve sat on," Watson said.

Her motion was eventually defeated by a 7-3 vote.

The WRDSB Ad Hoc School Naming Review Committee identified schools, facilities, mascots, and other named spaces for review. The committee identified schools for renaming including Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School, AR Kaufman Public School and Ryerson Public School.

At one point in Monday's meeting, trustee Mike Ramsay accused the board of illegal activity.

"I believe that many of our staff are being forced out of a balanced approach in a growing partisan divide amongst trustees of the board. I’m seeing on more than one occasion where members of the senior team are being directed by members of this board to disregard ministry directives and the law," Ramsay said.

Trustee Carol Millar responded with "I  want to comment and disassociate myself from comments made by the previous speaker that suggested in some way members of the board are breaking the law.

"I want to be clear, that is not the case and I am really upset that that was a suggestion made by my previous colleague."

Chair Scott Piatkowski asked Ramsay if he wanted to retract his allegations of illegal activity.

"Why would I want to retract? This information that we are withholding from the community is information that they are entitled to," Ramsay said.

The board said that moving forward, all school names will reflect the WRDSB’s commitment to Indigenous sovereignty, equity, and human rights while planning for meaningful consultation with the community, students, families, and staff.

“An effective school board should serve as a role model for the education system and should be accountable for its performance.” said Christina Restoule, Indigenous Services Coordinator at Conestoga College, and a delegate at Monday's meeting.

“The events and words shared from members at the trustee table both in November and in January, highlight that the standards of good governance have been disregarded.”

Trustee Kathleen Woodcock said the school board approved the Ad Hoc School Naming Review Committee Research Report, including recommendations, in November.

“This means that the ad hoc committee has completed the board-approved mandate as described in the terms of reference were also approved by the board of Trustees,” Woodcock said.

She added that she also had concerns about the "safety – physical, emotional, and mental – of the committee members including students, staff, committee members and trustees."

Trustee Jayne Herring said all trustees were able to participate.

“This was an open opportunity for anyone who was willing to sit on the committee,” Herring said. “This report will be shared with anyone going through the naming process.”

Trustee Mike Ramsay, who supported Watson’s motion, said that it was important that the board consider releasing the report.

“It is clear over the last number of months, that many voices and perspectives are being shut out of many discussions that impact the lives of parents, students, and staff,” Ramsay said.

“I would suggest that it is a valid concern in hearing from the community. Matters are being discussed prior to being discussed at the board table.”

Trustee Carol Millar said that the document was not intended to provide all of the answers.

“I’m concerned, that these kinds of requests will impact our ability to get our essential and important community volunteers to participate in our committees. The volunteer’s involvement is not only necessary, but crucial to much of the work we do as look for diverse thoughts, ideas and feedback,” Millar said.