Waterloo Area public faculty board director raised issues with police over feedback about race
WATERLOO REGION — The Waterloo Area District Faculty Board raised security issues with police whereas it was within the midst of a contentious debate round how colleges educate about race and white privilege.
Schooling director jeewan chanicka mentioned he’s involved about on-line and social media commentary and feedback made by individuals interacting with principals and board workers in parking tons. He didn’t present particulars.
“We’re attempting to make it possible for individuals are secure and never wanting them to place themselves in hurt’s manner,” mentioned chanicka, who spells his identify in decrease case. “We’ve introduced explicit issues to the discover of the police in order that they’ll monitor.”
Chief Bryan Larkin has spoken with chanicka “surrounding issues over on-line posts that gave the impression to be focusing on each the varsity board and the director,” Waterloo Regional Police mentioned in an announcement. “Our felony intelligence department continues to watch. Nevertheless, right now, there isn’t a lively felony investigation.”
The schooling director spoke emotionally at a June 20 faculty board assembly.
“We’re a rustic that’s steeped in racism,” he advised elected trustees, earlier than they voted down a movement looking for particulars on what’s taught in colleges about white privilege and race.
He later tweeted feedback he made on the assembly. Twitter customers erupted, with some tweets mocking and uncivil, whereas others had been in assist.
The schooling director has invited Twitter customers to assessment the commentary, arguing it’s an try to amplify a marketing campaign of hate and racism.
Faculty trustees employed chanicka final summer season to direct schooling in a area that’s predominantly white. He mentioned the board is looking for to make sure that all schoolchildren really feel secure and included no matter race, faith, sexual orientation or gender identification.
Since his hiring, efforts have been met with “waves of sentiment” and “as we went towards this movement it turned unhealthy once more,” he mentioned in an interview. “Any time there’s change, there’s all the time individuals’s response to alter.”
He mentioned the response is partly a response to having an individual of color direct the board.
“That is part of it, that there’s a individual of color in management,” he mentioned. “We haven’t modified a lot of what’s been occurring prior to now a few years. And so the query is, what has modified? Properly, the director has modified.”
