The Toronto District School Board is the largest in Canada, as well as the looniest. They're just crazy for inclusion, diversity and political correctness. Check out the examples in "Canada's loony left, pro-Muslim 'public' school board", WWW 16/1/18 and "Chinese-Canadians protest hijab hoax", 29/1/18. On Friday we had another head-scratcher from the TDSB, in the form of a memorial ceremony for Jeremiah Perry, a former student at C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute (read: high school), one of the hundreds run [into the ground? Ed.] by the TDSB.
C.W. Jefferys is located in a predominantly black area [Thank you for not using the G-word. Ed.] in northwest Toronto. The majority of the school-goers are "students of colour". The school isnot noted for academic achievement, nor even for having good football or basketball teams. It is one of many TDSB schools which have "challenges" and "opportunities", including the "opportunity" to prove to a skeptical public that diversity is Canada's strength, and inclusivity can work to improve the lot of kids like Jeremiah Perry.
As part of their politically correct programme to make sure everyone gets treated the same, the TDSB promotes field trips and holiday adventures, so that black kids who've never been out of the, errr, city, can enjoy the beauties of Canada's countryside, just like the white kids. In July of 2017, staff at C.W. Jefferys organized a week-long canoe trip through Ontario's famous Algonquin Park, about three hours' drive and hundreds of light years in character north of the Wormy Apple.
Kids who wished to go on the trip didn't need money. This was all paid for by the taxpayer, natch. They didn't even need to have any experience canoeing, because they'd be taught the basics by the teachers and guides who would accompany them at all times. But they did need to know how to swim (just in case the lessons didn't take), and swim tests were duly administered at a local pool.
Here's where the political correctness kicks in, with sad consequences for Jeremiah Perry. Jeremiah, you see, didn't know how to swim, and failed the test. So by rights he should have been left behind. But hey, "No child left behind!" Right? Especially if the child is, errr, non-white and might therefore feel discriminated against. So Jeremiah went along with all the others.
As surely as the sun rises in the east, the unintended consequences of too much political correctness befell Jeremiah on 15 July 2017, when he went swimming with his mates, at dusk, sans life-jacket or other PFD. He soon disappeared under the waters of Big Trout Lake. His body was found the next day by Ontario Provincial Police search and rescue divers.
Jeremiah's death spurred investigations by the OPP and TDSB, who pointed the finger of blame at a teacher who was acting as a supervisor on the trip. A charge of criminal negligence causing death was laid this past July -- a year later -- and the accused teacher is now on "home assignment" meaning he gets paid not to come to work.
The TDSB, for its part, implemented a number of new measures to ensure safety on future field trips, including a requirement that parents be notified if their child passes or fails mandatory swim tests. A prominent accounting firm was hired by the province of Ontario to conduct a review of outdoor education policies at Ontario school boards. Its finding have not been made public.
On Friday, the C.W. Jefferys gym was renamed to honour Jeremiah Perry. Not because he was a great athlete. Not because he was a great all-round student. But (although this wasn't said) because he was the first black student in Ontario to die because of political correctness. That's all ye know and all ye need to know.
No comments:
Post a Comment