Ontario’s education minister has asked for an investigation into a now controversial Toronto field trip that saw students involved with a downtown protest.
Education Minister Jill Dunlop said in a statement she is ordering the probe into last Wednesday’s field trip involving students with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) attending the day of action for Grassy Narrows First Nation.
“It is clear that the TDSB has failed to take swift and decisive action on this matter. As such, I have asked my ministry to initiate an investigation into the events that took place at the TDSB last week,” Dunlop said.
“Those responsible should be held accountable.”
Trip had not gone as planned: TDSB
The TDSB has been under growing pressure for the field trip, but said the plan was not for students to take part in the protest itself.
The board confirmed that a trip to the event was organized, but said it had been planned as an “education experience” for students to listen to the experiences of Indigenous people. Grassy Narrows First Nation’s community river was impacted by years of mercury poisoning.
Some parents and other groups, however, complained the trip veered away from education and into protest and activism.
The TDSB said in a statement Tuesday it welcomes the ministry’s probe, adding it has serious concerns about what happened.
“We immediately launched our own investigation … within 24 hours of the event in question. TDSB has also announced a review of our field trip procedures and gave notice across the system that students should not be participating in organized protests/rallies/marches as part of any school-related outing,” it said.
“As this situation involved students from approximately 15 schools, as well as multiple staff and students, a thorough investigation will take time to conduct and complete. We have made clear that if the investigation concludes that TDSB policies, procedures or professional standards were not followed, we will take action, including disciplinary action, to ensure accountability.”
Trip was ‘disgraceful’: Ford
Earlier this week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford blasted the board for the way the trip played out — and accused some educators of planning to “indoctrinate” students.
“I think it’s disgraceful — you’re trying to indoctrinate our kids,” he said, claiming the protest had been a “Palestine rally” in Toronto.
“I’ve said this about indoctrination for years. And I don’t want to paint a broad brush for all the teachers because it’s not all teachers, it’s a minority (of) teachers. … There needs to be an investigation and we’ll be all over this, and make sure people are held accountable.”
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC), a prominent Jewish group, said Wednesday the TDSB “failed” their students.
“Not only did TDSB staff fail their students, who should be learning – not participating in protests – but they also violated the trust of parents,” said Michael Levitt, FSWC president and CEO.
“This incident was utterly unacceptable, and those responsible must be held accountable.”
Trustees call for swift timeline
At a special board meeting on Wednesday evening, trustees expressed their dismay at how the events had played out and unanimously passed a motion calling for the province to wrap up its review quickly.
The motion, agreed upon by all trustees, asked the Ministry of Education to complete its investigation by Dec. 21, 2024, and make the final report available for the public to read. It also pledged full cooperation with the review from the board and its staff.
During an hour-long discussion, trustees vented their concerns that they feared board policies had been violated and said communication from TDSB itself had been too slow.
They suggested a number of policies, including one governing field trips, should be subject to urgent review.
Louise Sirisko, the board’s acting director of education, said TDSB’s own internal probe had been suspended in light of the provincial investigation to avoid people being interviewed by multiple investigations.
“I once again apologize to students and families who were impacted,” she said.