A Montreal-area father stated he is shocked by the depiction of a ‘felony’ in a highschool workbook, and reached out to a civil rights advocate to behave.
George Stetka stated his daughter, who attends Centennial Excessive Faculty in Longueuil, confirmed him her workbook for French class and he could not imagine what he noticed.
Inside was an train the place college students had been requested to explain pictures of what the workbook known as would-be gangsters.
Each of them had been individuals of color.
“I used to be shocked that that is yet one more instance of many, many examples we have seen in different colleges and different locations,” Stetka stated.
Troubled by it, Stetka reached out to civil rights advocate Joel DeBellefeuille on what occurred to be the primary day of Black Historical past Month.
“The insurance policies on discrimination and racism, clearly, are failing at this second. I imply, this should not be occurring,” stated DeBellefeuille, founding father of Pink Coalition.
Taking purpose on the provincial authorities, DeBellefeuille stated there must be extra of a top-down method to sort out the impact of systemic racism on youngsters.
“These are our kids. That is our future. These are the individuals which might be going to finally be operating these colleges,” he stated.
“And in the event that they're taught the unsuitable issues from the start, the cycle -- the systemic cycle -- of discrimination and racism will proceed, sadly.”
The varsity board stated a instructor downloaded the workbook from the web and it's not a part of the curriculum.
“The instructor — I am positive she's not a racist. However she and different individuals earlier than her which have seen this picture simply checked out it like no massive deal. However it's a massive deal,” stated Stetka.
The Riverside Faculty Board has apologized for the incident.
“We're so sorry about this, I am sorry mother and father needed to see that, that the scholars needed to see that, and that some college students had been made to imagine that’s an correct illustration of individuals of their group with darkish pores and skin,” stated Sylvain Racette, the board’s director common.
The varsity board would not say if any disciplinary motion is deliberate in opposition to the instructor, although it did say she could be taking again the workbook and apologizing to the category.
Along with apologizing, the board says it'll additionally clarify to college students why this workbook is inappropriate and can speak to workers as effectively.
It’s one thing Stetka stated is a teachable second for kids.
“It is simply one other teachable second of many. , my daughter is blended. Her mom is Black. And we've got loads of these talks,” he stated.
LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: One Montreal-area mother or father is outraged at illustrations in his daughter’s textbook
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