The word 'family' has caused controversy for this Ontario school board. Here's why

The Waterloo Region District School Board has been talking a batch astir the connection "family" this month.

The committee has released 2 abstracted statements truthful acold successful June aft media reports and rumours circulated online that teachers were being taught the connection "family" is racist.

It stems from a nonrecreational improvement time grooming league successful November 2023 erstwhile teachers from Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School adjacent Baden, Ont., discussed respective words and what they meant to students, the schoolhouse committee says.

Screengrabs from a presumption called "Dismantling Whiteness astatine W-O: Words Matter" have appeared connected alternate media sites specified arsenic Juno News and Rebel News. The photograph of a descent amusement presumption shows that the connection household has been "identified arsenic harmful by our racialized students."

The Juno News header reads: "School committee trains unit that the word 'family' is harmful, racist." 

In a video report, which was posted to YouTube connected June 6, Rebel News elder exertion Tamara Ugolini was captious of the board.

"When someone's telling you that the word 'family' is rooted successful achromatic supremacy and to dismantle the household portion due to the fact that it's rooted successful patriarchy, you tin archer them wherever to go," Ugolini says connected the video.

Maedith Radlein, seat of the Waterloo Region District School Board, says the grooming materials reprinted by those media outlets were shared retired of discourse "and interpreted incorrectly."

"That screenshot was interpreted to mean that what was being said was that we are against family. That screenshot was, successful fact, portion of a larger presumption that was a treatment astir language," Radlein told CBC K-W's The Morning Edition big Craig Norris connected Wednesday.

Radlein says radical person been emailing committee unit and trustees and "are, of course, precise upset due to the fact that if that was so a message it would beryllium thing to beryllium precise acrophobic about."

"I would similar to unequivocally authorities that that is not our message. We worth families and we enactment with them each time arsenic we question to assistance their students execute and bask their schoolhouse experience," she said.

LISTEN | Waterloo Region District School Board seat discusses contention implicit the connection 'family':

2 statements

The schoolhouse committee issued its archetypal connection connected June 6, stating they were alert of the media reports and wanted to clarify and supply discourse astir what had been reported.

"The league explored however antithetic communities whitethorn acquisition nationalist institutions differently, and however educators tin beryllium thoughtful and inclusive successful their communication," the connection said.

"These discussions are portion of our ongoing committedness to quality rights, equity and learning."

The 2nd connection was released June 10. It was a missive to the assemblage from Radlein successful which she noted "the connection 'family' and what it represents is integral to each we do."

The alternate media reports accidental the grooming was offered by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF).

Dave VandenBerg, president of OSSTF District 24, said successful an email to CBC News that the slides successful the Juno News station were not from a presumption created by the teacher's union.

"All unit meetings see clip for OSSTF. It seems that the inclusion of OSSTF clip astatine the extremity of the gathering was misunderstood to mean that OSSTF created the presentation," helium said. 

The schoolhouse committee told CBC News the presumption was prepared by schoolhouse committee staff.

Reports linked to parental rights movement: Researcher

Lisa Gasson-Gardner is an adjunct prof of spiritual studies astatine Mount Royal University successful Calgary and researches caller spiritual movements. She says the messaging successful the reporting of this communicative by alternate media outlets appears to beryllium linked to the parental rights movement.

"Folks who are acrophobic astir captious contention mentation are besides acrophobic astir parents having rights, are besides acrophobic astir sex ideology," she said.

Gasson-Gardner says grassroots groups who are portion of this question cognize however to communicate. They accidental things that "seem evidently true," like parents should beryllium informed astir what their children are learning astir successful school, but past there's an underlying connection the mean scholar whitethorn miss.

"Consider that, erstwhile we say, 'Oh, we privation to person a neutral schoolroom oregon a politics-free classroom,' what is neutral that we don't speech about?" she said.

Gasson-Gardner says parental rights groups are bully astatine mobilizing and she's seen grounds they've worked to get radical elected to schoolhouse boards successful Alberta and Ontario. That's wherefore she says it's important to recognize who the radical are who tally for these positions, particularly with Ontario municipal elections acceptable for October 2026.

"If you attraction astir education, you person to wage attraction to what's happening," she said.

Aim to make 'moral panic'

Carmen Celestini is simply a full-time lecturer of spiritual studies astatine the University of Waterloo. She says determination are besides groups who are attempting to make "moral panic" astir captious contention mentation successful education.

Critical contention mentation is the thought that radical bias is inherent successful definite systems, including ineligible and societal institutions.

She says the arguments being made successful the reports by alternate media are akin to anti-critical contention mentation posts successful the U.S.

They "believe that [critical contention theory] is an onslaught connected nationalist values and beliefs. Those values are expressed successful their beliefs and values with small interest for others," Celestini said.

"The schoolhouse committee should respond and beryllium transparent successful addressing issues specified arsenic this," Celestini said.

"Yet, those who judge these antagonistic narratives astir apt person distrust successful the institutions specified arsenic acquisition and bequest media, truthful the committee volition not beryllium converting the mindset of those who judge this, but volition prosecute those who whitethorn person heard astir this."

Board 'meeting the needs of each students'

Radlein said the grooming league connected connection took spot connected a nonrecreational improvement time and they looked astatine a fig of words. Family was 1 of the words.

"The connection was that the connection household does not mean the aforesaid happening to everybody," Radlein said.

Radlein said schoolhouse committee unit request to educate themselves and beryllium alert of wherever they whitethorn beryllium assuming thing astir students oregon person an unconscious bias.

She says this isn't the archetypal clip the committee has been a people for radical who don't hold with their philosophies. 

"I surely deliberation that the initiatives that our committee does astir information and reconciliation, astir equity, astir sex recognition and orientation, I surely deliberation that that is simply a lightning rod for galore groups that person differing opinions," Radlein said.

"I cannot talk arsenic to wherefore this is happening, but I bash cognize that we are a committee that is known for our committedness to gathering the needs of each students, to welcoming everybody, nary substance who they are. And immoderate radical whitethorn not hold with that approach."