Members of the Black community attended a Peel school board meeting Thursday night demanding action be taken against a trustee for calling McCrimmon Middle School â which has a large racialized student population â âMcCriminalâ.Members of the public repeatedly asked how the issue was being handled, but were told by acting chair Sue Lawton to take their concerns to the integrity commissioner. âUs youth, we look up to you,â recent high school graduate Colin-Winston Derek Browne said to the board. âBut how can a board member call a school âMcCriminalâ? Do you see us in chains?âTenth grader Rhyan Douglas asked, âWhy canât there be a written apology sent to the students of McCrimmon? Do I look like a criminal? I donât think anyone should be called a criminal. Thatâs so degrading.âOne woman pressed Lawton about whether it was racist to call students at McCrimmon McCriminals, but Lawton refused to answer. Another woman suggested changing the schoolâs name.Trustee David Green, who represents the school, said âI will take the lead and file a complaint,â which drew a standing ovation. It was never made clear at the meeting who made the âMcCriminalâ comment or what the context was.About 60 people attended the meeting, many speaking passionately about anti-Black racism within the board. They also asked for a review of the We Rise Together, which is the boardâs action plan to tackle anti-Black racism in schools.Lawton said the board is committed to âequity and inclusionâ and must address systemic racism, adding, âWe need to be better.âTensions within the community intensified after an Aug. 27 board meeting in which Trustee Kathy McDonald said she had tried repeatedly to raise concerns about âsystemic racismâ in meetings and private sessions, but had been denied.âThere are comments made, which I take strong exc ...
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