York Region trustee Nancy Elgie has announced she’ll step down, saying her use of a racial slur has “brought undeserved distress” to the community and harmed the school board’s reputation.In a video statement posted on YouTube, a well-spoken Elgie said that over the past 17 years as a trustee, “I have always tried to make a difference, particularly for our most vulnerable children.”She said using the word n----- to refer to a black parent, after a public meeting last November “was a terrible mistake.”“In a private conversation with Trustee Loralea Carruthers, I was trying to refer to a parent who had been at the board meeting, but I did not know her name, only that she had been featured in media stories about children being called a hurtful racist word. “In trying to explain that, the words came out horribly wrong. I was mortified. I apologized immediately.”After the remark was overheard by a staff member, who complained, the board hired an independent investigator. Following that investigation, Elgie apologized via email to the parent, as well as to fellow trustees.Read more: York parents demand accused trustee step downYork trustee apologizes for using racial slurYork board investigators ‘overwhelmed’ with complainants‘Reprehensible’ to suggest there is another side to Elgie’s racist comment: GrantBlack community’s feelings trump Nancy Elgie’s intentions: Cole“Today, I reiterate that heartfelt apology,” she said in her video statement. “I know how hurtful that word is — even if used inadvertently — and I am truly sorry for the pain my words have caused.”Elgie’s children have said a head injury Elgie suffered last October caused a concussion that made her struggle for words. She only recently — and amid the controversy over her use of the slur — took a medical leave.“I ...
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