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At the end of February, the Director General of the school board that I work for sent out an email to all his employees. In it, he explicitly outlines the board’s commitment to provide inclusive, caring, and respectful work environments for students, families, and staff working within the system.

Later on, he states that there have been recent complaints from parents and students that some teachers have been using racially charged terms used to describe Black, Indigenous, and people of colour in the classroom. In clarifying his expectations for his employees on this matter, the Director General stated that at no point is the use of slurs or labels by staff acceptable, including when reading aloud texts or when quoting course content. And while he made it clear in his email that it is important to teach students why potentially harmful language should not be used, the Director General also explained that teachers need to censor and avoid reading aloud or quoting texts that directly use this type of language, altogether.

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