Twelve Jewish teachers have filed human rights complaints against four Ontario school boards, including the Toronto District School Board, and two teachers’ unions. The complaints filed Thursday with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario claim that the teachers were discriminated against because of their creed, ethnic origin, and ancestry and that the schools and unions penalized the teachers for reporting alleged instances of antisemitism. The teachers are seeking general damages of $150,000 each for discrimination and compensation for psychological counselling. CP24 and CTV News have reached out to the TDSB, York Region District School Board, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, which are named in the complaints. The TDSB said in a statement that it will respond to specific allegations through the tribunal process but claimed that it “thoroughly” investigated and addressed all reports of antisemitism and other forms of hate. “Antisemitism has no place in our communities or schools. The Board has and will continue to work with community groups and agencies to combat antisemitism and to foster inclusive schools and workplaces where students and staff feel safe and welcome,” the TDSB said. ETFO said it does not comment on legal matters. YRDSB said it will not comment on the complaints “to preserve the integrity of these proceedings” but noted that it is “committed to creating and sustaining safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning and working spaces for all students and staff.” The Simcoe County District School Board and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board are also named in the complaints. ‘Very egregious’ antisemitism Kathryn Marshall of Marshall Law, who is representing the teachers, said in an interview with CP24 on Thursday afternoon that there had been a lot of “very egregious” antisemitism. “They’ve experienced things like going to school and having swastikas written on chalkboards on their desks. They’ve experienced hearing students sing Hitler chants in the schoolyard at recess. They’ve experienced being told that giving out books about the Holocaust and the history of the Holocaust could be seen as trying to drum up donations for the Middle Eastern conflict,” Marshall said. In the case of the swastika drawn on a desk, Marshall claimed that the TDSB did nothing when it was reported and that the student behind it bragged to the teacher that there would be no consequences. “I know it’s hard for a lot of people to believe this, but this is the everyday experience of so many Jewish teachers in this province,” Marshall said. She reiterated what’s in the human rights complaints: that teachers who reported incidents of antisemitism would be reprimanded. “When they filed complaints, they were told that they were the problem, that they were the ones who were perhaps causing political disputes to erupt at school,” Marshall said. “How is having a swastika on a desk a political dispute? And I think that’s probably the avenue and the approach the unions and the boards are going to take. But this is discrimination. It’s the definition of hate, and it’s the reason why we have a human rights code that protects people from that in their workplace.” Marshall said one teacher was allegedly shut down by the union for speaking out against antisemitism in the workplace. “They feel they have nowhere to go, and the union is supposed to protect them, and it’s doing the opposite,” she said. “And that’s one of the reasons why we’ve sued the unions in this case because they are enabling the situation through condonation.” Marshall said all but one of the complainants are actively working as teachers. They filed individually but will ask the tribunal to hear the applications together. In addition to the compensation, the teachers are asking the tribunal to order the boards and unions “to develop transparent, enforceable policies and processes to uphold their duty of fairness, to combat discrimination, both individual and systemic antisemitism, with input from the Jewish community, to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism endorsed by the Government of Ontario, and to cease spreading antisemitic misinformation.” Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra’s press secretary said in a statement that antisemitism is unacceptable and has no place in schools. “Every student and educator deserves to feel safe, respected, and supported and to know that when they raise serious concerns, those concerns will be taken seriously and addressed appropriately,” Emma Testani said. “We expect every school to provide an environment where students and educators feel safe, supported and able to focus on learning and student achievement.”
