Latest news with #TorontoDistrictSchoolBoard
Edmonton Journal
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Jewish group calls on Ontario government to address antisemitism in schools following federal report
Article content 'Without the proper tools or understanding, this has proven to be problematic for individual school boards to navigate,' he said. Article content The Canadian Jewish group is also asking the province to create a 'standardized hate reporting system' and to streamline the release of its Holocaust education curriculum. The latter was delayed after the Ford government appointed supervisors to oversee some of the largest school boards in the province in early July, including the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). Article content CIJA's public appeal comes just days after it sent a letter to Education Minister Paul Calandra and Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism Graham McGregor on July 18 advocating the need for a 'joint strategy to address antisemitism within Ontario public schools.' Article content The letter, which was also authored by Landau and publicized on Wednesday morning, refers extensively to last week's Ontario public school antisemitism report. The report found 10 per cent of Jewish students had 'directly experienced' an antisemitic incident between the October 7 Hamas attacks and January 2025 and that over 40 per cent of encounters 'involved Nazi salutes, glorification of (Adolph) Hitler, or similar expressions of hate.' Article content Following the release of a federal report confirming widespread antisemitism within Ontario's schools, we wrote to the Government of Ontario, urging them to develop and implement a strategy to stop antisemitism in our classrooms. Jewish students are being harassed, excluded, and… — CIJA (@CIJAinfo) July 23, 2025 Article content On Wednesday, Calandra told the Post in a written statement that he was 'deeply concerned, angry and frustrated with the findings of a recent report on antisemitism in Ontario schools' and he pledged to intervene if school leaders fail to uphold standards. Article content 'Schools must be a safe place for every student to learn in a respectful and supportive environment. I expect school boards across the province to focus on student achievement and creating supportive classrooms, free of discrimination in any form, absent of divisive politics that leave students feeling unsafe, parents frustrated and angry, and teachers who simply want to teach but unable to do so,' the Conservative MPP said. Article content 'If boards are unable to succeed in their main mandate ‚ student achievement — by delivering safe schools, then I will step in.' Article content The minister of citizenship and multiculturalism reiterated Calandra's statement and directed the Post to the Education Minister's statement published on X. Article content Article content Deborah Lyons, Canada's special envoy on antisemitism, told National Post in a written statement last week that the report's findings demonstrated the 'need to seriously consider antisemitism education, not just Holocaust education.' Article content 'Something has gone terribly wrong with our promises of 'Never Again' when over 40 per cent of the incidents in this study involved Nazi salutes, Holocaust denial, and overt verbal hate such as 'Hitler should have finished the job,'' said the former Canadian ambassador to Israel.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Federal privacy watchdog discontinues investigation into student data breach
The federal privacy watchdog says it has discontinued the investigation into a cybersecurity breach involving a student information system used across Canada, citing its satisfaction with the company's response and commitment to added security measures. Privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne says the probe was launched in February after his office received a breach report from U.S.-based PowerSchool, which provides the affected software, and a complaint about the incident. The commissioner's office says a hacker had obtained data such as names, contact information, birth dates and, in some cases, medical information and Social Insurance Numbers of current and former students, current and former educators, and parents across several provinces and territories. A man uses a computer keyboard in Toronto, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023 in this photo illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy It says PowerSchool took measures to contain the breach, notified affected individuals and organizations and offered credit protection, and has voluntarily committed to additional actions including strengthened monitoring and detection tools. The commissioner's office says those steps have prompted Dufresne to discontinue the investigation into the breach, but the office will monitor PowerSchool's commitment to its strengthened security measures. It says the decision to stop its probe won't impact ongoing investigations into the breach by provincial privacy watchdogs in Ontario and Alberta. 'I welcome PowerSchool's willingness to engage with my office to achieve a timely resolution that will result in stronger protections for the personal information of students, parents, and educators across Canada,' Dufresne said in a press release Tuesday. The Toronto District School Board, the largest school board in Canada, said in a letter to parents and caregivers in May that it recently learned data stolen in December 2024 was not destroyed and that a 'threat actor' had demanded ransom. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Jen Zoratti | Next Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. PowerSchool had said it paid the ransom in hopes of preventing public release of the stolen data. 'We made the decision to pay a ransom because we believed it to be in the best interest of our customers and the students and communities we serve,' it said in a statement in May. PowerSchool said in a letter to the commissioner Tuesday that it will confirm any further forensic and authentication steps it will take by the end of this month, and the company will provide evidence that it has strengthened its security monitoring tools by the end of this year. It said PowerSchool will provide the commissioner with an independent security assessment and report of its information safeguards by March 2026. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025.
CTV News
16-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
TDSB launches new program to help students transition to high school
Toronto Watch John Musselman reports on a Toronto District School Board summer program that helps students explore high school courses and earn credits before Grade 9.
Global News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Teachers, opposition blast Ford government school board takeover as ‘power grab'
Teachers, trustees and opposition politicians are calling on the Ford government to drop its takeover of school boards and hand out more education funding, claiming recent moves are 'designed to distract' from deeper issues. On Thursday, Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles was joined by teaching unions and a Toronto District School Board trustee to oppose recent major moves by the education minister. Minister Paul Calandra announced at the end of June he would send supervisors to take over the Toronto District, Toronto Catholic, Ottawa Carlton and Dufferin-Peel Catholic boards. He said the four boards were failing to properly manage their finances following a series of investigations. Opponents, however, say provincial funding has failed to keep pace with inflation and enrolment fluctuations, leaving boards with no choice. They argue the takeovers — which will become easier if new legislation passes — are about control. Story continues below advertisement Ontario NDP MPP Chandra Pasma lamented the fact that the takeover sidelines trustees, who have been removed from decision-making and also told not to communicate with parents. 'Instead of making the investments that our schools need, Doug Ford and Paul Calandra are taking away a parent's ability to have a say in the important decisions that directly affect their children,' she said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Taking over school boards and trustees means communities are losing their voice. They are losing the people they turn to when they need help.' Stiles said the move made it harder for families to effect change in the local system. 'It's about shutting out families, it's about a power grab, and it's all about political gains,' she said. 'And what Ontario schools actually need is real investments.' Michelle Teixeira, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation Toronto branch, said the government is hellbent on taking over the boards. She pointed to the report completed by PwC, looking at the Toronto District School Board's finances before the takeover was announced. That report did recommend Calandra take control of the school board as a result of 'probably accumulated deficits,' but it didn't find examples of reckless or deliberate financial mismanagement. Nor did it not find evidence that the board was in danger of defaulting. Story continues below advertisement 'The investigations into these school boards were nothing more than a ruse designed to distract from the fact that they are willfully underfunding education in this province,' Teixeira said. 'Despite the fact that the TDSB balanced its budget, and that the investigation found no evidence of financial mismanagement, the Ford government continues to place the blame on trustees rather than where it belongs, squarely on themselves.' One of the reasons given by Calandra for the takeover of TDSB was the fact that trustees rejected 40 per cent of cost-saving recommendations from staff. TDSB Trustee Matias de Dovitiis said Thursday that the cuts they rejected would have been damaging to students and parents — some of which the minister of education forbade them from doing. 'The recommendations from staff that we didn't follow were to close down pools, fire principals, fire safety monitors, reduce outdoor education, and do away with the many things that make school education, public education, better for kids,' de Dovitiis said. 'We weren't prepared to do that because we represent our communities, and our communities don't want us to do that.' The Ministry of Education did not send a statement in time for publication. In response to questions in the legislature from the NDP about funding, Calandra has said the current government is spending more than ever before on education.
Toronto Sun
07-07-2025
- General
- Toronto Sun
FUREY: Clean up the TDSB this summer before kids return to class
Empty tables and chairs in a school classroom are pictured in this file photo. Photo by Getty Images As Toronto public school students enjoy a summer full of camps, play and sports, let's hope the system that they return to in September undergoes significant change. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Public education in Ontario has become a mess. That is why it is welcome news that the provincial government has appointed supervisors to take over a number of school boards across the province, including the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). Our schools should focus on academic excellence and student safety. Instead, under the current bureaucracy and trustee leadership, education is declining – funding is mismanaged, horrible behaviour and violence is normalized and the pushing of political agendas is now commonplace. What the appointment of the supervisors effectively means is that board trustees are sidelined and the supervisor can give direction to senior bureaucrats to clean up this mess. Education Minister Paul Calandra is bringing in this much-needed oversight due primarily to serious concerns over financial mismanagement. Parents and taxpayers expect education funding to go into the classroom — for the hiring of staff and classroom resources and the maintenance of schools. It shouldn't be going to international travel for trustees, which happened at one board, or to further ballooning bureaucracy. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But this is also an opportunity for Premier Doug Ford and Minister Calandra to have the supervisor clean up other serious problems in the TDSB and other boards. I hear from teachers who work in classrooms in Toronto and across the GTA about how students aren't just fighting each other but now swearing at, spitting on and even hitting their teachers. I know some who have walked away from their jobs — and the seniority and benefits that come with it — because the classroom situation has gotten so out of control. Read More Teachers and principals are no longer empowered to bring in meaningful discipline in the classroom. Kids do not face consequences for their actions. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Instead, teachers fear the consequences they will receive for simply laying down the law — both from politically correct bureaucrats and entitled parents who believe their kids can do no wrong. Rogue teachers should be fired for turning classrooms into incubators for their own agendas, whether they be geopolitics, identity politics or gender confusion. They distract from the majority of teachers who want to focus on academic excellence in core subjects. Parents now routinely refer to GTA schools as little more than free daycare. There are many parents who either withdraw kids from public school or pay for tutoring. This new status quo is unfair to everyone — including to families who can't afford extra support. The whole point of public education is that it should be equally beneficial to all, but now lower income families are left with the scraps. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Concerned parents hopefully realize that they need to get more involved in the education system. Trustee politics can have a more direct impact on their family's lives than other levels of government. Yet for too long it has been the domain of far-left activists who use school boards as a means-to-an-end launchpad to run for other levels of government. The Ford government is right to embark on this approach. Although it's important for parents to know that this isn't the first time supervisors have been put in charge of boards in Ontario. It's one of many tools in the toolkit to bring accountability and common sense into the classroom. It will be a tall order to tackle these problems — but let's hope the supervisors make a dent in them between now and September when kids go back to class. Anthony Furey is a former long-time Postmedia columnist and ran for Mayor of Toronto in 2023. Columnists Toronto Blue Jays Sunshine Girls World Canada
