Juno News - Waterloo District School Board says its “Dismantling Whiteness” training is fake… but also real.

00:00:00.160 Finally, a school board has admitted that they're engaging in racist training fully supported by the Ministry of Education and the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

00:00:09.500 For me, it's been a dramatic week following the release of my article exposing anti-white training coming directly from the Waterloo District School Board.

00:00:18.120 While I'm glad that the board did take responsibility for the training, I'm left with many questions following their muddled and contradictory media messaging.

00:00:26.580 Apparently, my article lacked context, but did it?

00:00:29.340 I'm Melanie Bennett. This is Disrupted.

00:00:40.620 This week's episode is a little bit different because instead of reporting on the story, I became the story.

00:00:47.220 And what unfolded after I published my article with the Waterloo Board professional development training was a week of basically censorship and spin,

00:00:55.200 the kind of coordinated gaslighting that would make George Orwell raise an eyebrow.

00:01:00.560 Let's walk through what happened and you can decide for yourself what this was really about.

00:01:05.480 On June 4th, it all started when I published an article for True North on the Juno News platform.

00:01:11.200 It covered a leak staff training session from the Waterloo District School Board.

00:01:15.420 The session included a slide titled Dismantling Whiteness at W.O., which claimed that the word family had been identified as harmful by racialized students.

00:01:24.140 Yeah, family. Most people picked up on that slide.

00:01:26.800 Specifically, they meant the nuclear family.

00:01:28.740 The slide said that the term implied obedience, hierarchy, and the prioritization of the nuclear family to the detriment of others.

00:01:36.820 It's not the first time that the board has had a hard time with words relating to family.

00:01:41.260 So here's a little clip of a board meeting where trustees are discussing in May 2025 which words they should use around family to be more inclusive.

00:01:51.320 When I did the OPSPA training in one of the modules, it says the term parent is used in this module to represent parents, guardians, caregivers, and all with an interest in a child's education.

00:02:08.780 Family is used to embrace the diversity of parental and extended family structures in Ontario homes, including other adults who are caregivers and play an important role in a child's life.

00:02:19.820 And so I can see that the ministry has a totally different idea of parent, caregiver.

00:02:28.460 It seems to be a big issue with us, and we're using families as a big umbrella term, but there is inconsistencies in all of our policies.

00:02:38.520 I suspect if the ministry is giving us a policy, we're using the word parent, but when we use it, we're using the word family.

00:02:47.820 So I just wanted to point that out, and then who knows, maybe in the future we'll all kind of get on the same page, but it just looks really awkward.

00:02:58.320 I think I'm not currently a part of the policy working group, but when I have sat in, I think the preference is for a more inclusive term wherever possible.

00:03:11.840 So we use different terms than the preferred terms if it is mentioned in legislation.

00:03:22.860 So for example, for student trustees, it needs to be the parent or the legal guardian who gives consent if they're not of age.

00:03:32.460 So we follow the legislation with the wording, but if we're not bound by legislation, we can and should use the more inclusive language.

00:03:44.320 Parents are included in families, but so are other forms of families.

00:03:50.460 My article went viral. It really did strike a nerve with people and the school board, which ignored my requests for comment before publication, suddenly had something to say, but not to me, of course.

00:04:05.400 On June 6th, the Waterloo board issued a public statement claiming that my article lacked context.

00:04:11.860 But here's the thing. I did actually ask for context three times to date.

00:04:18.080 I gave them every opportunity to clarify or to explain or even to refute the core of my argument made in the article, but they didn't.

00:04:27.480 Not until the blowback started.

00:04:29.320 Meanwhile, I posted the entire slide deck that I had received from my leak on my X account.

00:04:35.880 Receipts are kind of my thing. It's what I'm known for.

00:04:38.440 While all this was happening, I'd actually posted the entire slide deck on my X account.

00:04:43.200 It's still a pinned post.

00:04:44.400 They're not there anymore, which we'll get to, but if you want to see the slides, it is currently posted on my sub stack.

00:04:50.460 My article was published on a Wednesday and by the weekend, both my post and the article had received hundreds of thousands of views internationally.

00:04:59.400 The article was taking off.

00:05:00.600 Obviously, people were sharing the full slides and discussing the training for what it was.

00:05:04.960 It's a textbook example of critical race theory applied to K-12 education.

00:05:09.520 And on June 9th, on the Monday, I followed up again with the board, copying every trustee in my email.

00:05:15.540 And that's when things got weird.

00:05:17.320 That morning, my X account was suspended.

00:05:20.060 The profile right now is visible.

00:05:21.640 You can see the pin posts and everything, but the replies are gone.

00:05:24.340 If you click on the comments, my replies are all gone and so are all the slides.

00:05:28.980 No warning, no explanation, just silence.

00:05:32.300 So that evening, the board chair made another public statement during the meeting, again, repeating that they value families, but completely dodging the core of the issue, that this training based in critical race theory is fully in line with the Ministry of Education and Human Rights Commission mandated equity.

00:05:50.600 They don't call it critical race theory.

00:05:52.420 They call it culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy, which is just education jargon that means applied critical race theory.

00:05:59.420 This is important because while they ignore the core point in my article, they admit the material is in fact theirs.

00:06:07.140 And if the material is in line with the principles of critical race theory, then disrupting whiteness does in fact require disrupting the nuclear family for equity.

00:06:16.400 In a nutshell, the nuclear family is a white cultural norm and in their view, therefore, a dominant cultural norm. 0.66

00:06:22.380 And dominant cultural norms are said to be oppressive forces that subjugate anyone outside that norm.

00:06:28.040 So any dominant, read, oppressive force must be disrupted and dismantled.

00:06:32.780 Am I wrong?

00:06:33.620 I'd love to have that conversation, but don't take my word for it.

00:06:37.180 Here's Waterloo board trustee Cindy Watson asking about critical race theory at the board in 2022.

00:06:44.100 I have a notice of motion that both trustee Ramsey and I worked on together.

00:06:47.940 I'm going to be moving it and he'll second it.

00:06:52.120 So I'll just start with whereas parents fully support equity and inclusion, but have concerns that the critical race theory and or the theory of white privilege are being drawn on to develop anti-racist lesson plans that are being used in WRDSP schools.

00:07:09.740 And that staff also provide recommendations that will help support children if they internalize guilt and shame and solutions that will prevent a possible stigma and or bias that could affect the school climate.

00:07:23.180 And that parents be provided supplemental material material on the theory of white privilege before their students are taught white privilege and that a letter be written to the minister of education about parental concerns regarding CRT and or the theory of white privilege that are being taught to their children.

00:07:44.820 On June 10th, the director of education, Scott Miller, appeared on the Mike Farwell show, a radio show on City News.

00:07:51.640 Sure. And I think what I'd like to start with, Mike, is just one is the certainly families, parents, caregivers, our partners in education.

00:08:00.100 And in my career, which is spanning close to 30 years now, that that is just always been the case.

00:08:04.180 So I first, you know, how this was received, want to apologize to community and if that's if how they received it and certainly the context that they received it within.

00:08:14.080 I think those are important things just to start with and have always appreciated the feedback, the engagement and the support of our many families and parents and caregivers.

00:08:23.000 The director apologized, but he didn't apologize for the training.

00:08:29.160 It sounds like he's apologizing for the fact that I published it from a critical perspective.

00:08:33.600 The director confirms that the board's work is aligned with the ministry directives and the Ontario Human Rights Commission policies.

00:08:40.060 And he's right. He says that equity work is difficult because not everyone's going to accept it, though.

00:08:45.640 What we've learned, Mike, certainly over time and as we've engaged in this work specifically looking at and dismantling racism in all its forms and ultimately in all of our schools is is a recognition that in some of our teachings previously in language that's been used,

00:09:02.300 it really made it difficult for people who are who are receiving that learning to engage in.

00:09:07.840 And in some cases, that sense of this feeling and I'll say certainly from from our white staff that they they would they would step back and and and worry and and have some concern and potentially even fear or want to defend that, you know, that's not who I am and so forth.

00:09:24.940 So what we really strive to do is as we have looked about look at our professional learning, how we're engaging in any of our anti-racism work is how are we providing opportunities that allow people to make a connection that allow that allow our staff to engage in conversation that will allow them to see a different perspective,

00:09:45.100 to see a different way while at the same time really being learners and really trying to take that emotion away in some cases, because people who enter those learning spaces with high emotion really aren't in a place to learn.

00:09:58.480 And and we recognize that some of the language that that people will hear whenever we're talking about racism and that that it will be something that does does allow for high emotion.

00:10:10.380 And so how we shifted our work in that we're trying to find different ways to allow people to come into that conversation while at the same time recognizing the need and the urgency to make changes to some of our systems so all of our students can can truly be successful and achieve at their highest level.

00:10:27.280 So that's the message. The problem isn't the ideology. The problem is you.

00:10:33.020 I invited the director to come on to this show on to disrupted, but I haven't heard anything. The same thing with the Mike Farwell show. I reached out. No response on June 11th. The board chair made it Radlin appeared on CBC radio for an interview.

00:10:49.920 What do you think that needs to happen now going forward to make sure these kinds of rumors, you know, don't get out of hand like this?

00:10:56.420 It's very hard to answer that, Craig, because right now we, you know, we live in a society where media communication is instantaneous, where people have access to all information and are free to disseminate it as they want to.

00:11:15.420 A rumor. Really? Because why did the board, including Radlin admit multiple times that the slides were real? So which is it? Is it real, but misleading? Is it fake, but real? Or is it just inconvenient? Is it that my criticism of critical race theory in education is real? Or is it fake?

00:11:36.420 Or is it fake?

00:11:37.420 I certainly think that the initiatives that our board does around, you know, truth and reconciliation, around equity, about gender identification and orientation, I'd certainly think that that is a lightning rod for many groups that have differing opinions. And Craig, this is a democracy. So, you know, differing opinions will exist and are welcome.

00:12:03.420 Maideth Radlin claims that the Waterloo board is open to different views and is transparent. But are they transparent and accepting of alternative voices? I took the time to speak with Christina Barrios Fernandez, a parent who's been trying to get the board to address ideological overreach for quite some time.

00:12:21.420 So, so rather than saying that she is open to any questions and she's open to transparency, the board is open to transparency. So I would say, let's, let's hold them to that. Let's ask for all of the slides.

00:12:34.420 Why not let people decide if they believe it's right or wrong? This is what the board does as well, right? Instead of showing you, they'll tell you that what to believe and how to think about it without showing you the information.

00:12:50.420 So let's just show us the information and let us decide for ourselves. And another point of transparency, I would say, because this is right on line with this, is to bring the draft out that they're currently working on for the anti-racism policy that is going to be, they're planning on it being ratified in the beginning of the next school year.

00:13:09.420 I will say that I was part of that consultation because that's something they do with the board. They'll say we already did consultation, right? They literally asked us, they asked us not to share these slides.

00:13:22.420 I was part of the consultation for PIC, the parent involvement committee, and we were not to share any of the slides because it's a draft. A couple of us just said, we don't believe this is okay. I mean, this is public.

00:13:37.420 We ought to have public consultation on this. Why not make it open and let people decide what they want and have their feedback come to you. But this is why, because they want to keep it hush hush.

00:13:49.420 And then they ratify it. And then when people have a problem with it, after the decision's already been made, they said, oh, well, we've already, where were you? We already did parent consultations.

00:14:02.420 We already had different groups. So I know I was one of the parent groups as PIC.

00:14:08.420 We want to know what the other four to five groups were, because there were four to five groups being consulted.

00:14:14.420 We want to know how many people in these groups and which groups they were being consulted for an anti-racism policy.

00:14:20.420 And I would implore people to take a look at what that policy is. And I would encourage the board to share that if they're being honest about wanting to be transparent and wanting it to be a democracy.

00:14:33.420 Because that's the other thing Radlin keeps on mentioning. It's democracy now. This is a new term she continues to use.

00:14:39.420 This is a new thing that she's doing. And it's, yeah, you say it's a democracy and everyone gets their views. 0.99

00:14:46.420 But the state continues to do as they see fit, even though I would say the majority is not okay with what you're doing.

00:14:55.420 So they don't want the consultation because it would definitely show it's the same with the school, the school books, with the inappropriate sexualized material, the highly sexualized material.

00:15:09.420 I say, okay, listen, if this is what, because we're in a democracy, if this is what the parents want, then so be it.

00:15:17.420 I need to make a decision for myself and my family. Am I staying? Am I going? Am I going to try something?

00:15:21.420 Am I going to keep advocating? What are we going to do, right?

00:15:25.420 But they don't want everyone to know exactly what's going on, because then they would know how many people are against it, right?

00:15:33.420 So, yeah, it's not honest. It's not honorable. It's incredibly deceitful.

00:15:41.420 And I really highly encourage people to just think critically about it, because it literally is eroding.

00:15:51.420 The state would love to have us believe that our rights come from legislation.

00:15:56.420 And in order for them to do that is for them to have us forget that we have God-given rights or birth rights.

00:16:04.420 I did try to reach out to the CBC, but you guessed it.

00:16:08.420 The story isn't over yet, I'm afraid.

00:16:10.420 On June 13th, the CBC published a written article that does name Juno News and does show the article,

00:16:16.420 but it seems that it's for the purpose of discrediting me.

00:16:20.420 The author framed my work as part of the parents' rights movement, invoking religious studies academic from Mount Royal University,

00:16:27.420 suggesting that criticism of critical race theory is linked to fringe ideologies and religious extremism.

00:16:34.420 Interesting. What even is the parental rights movement?

00:16:37.420 There are parents advocating for themselves, for sure.

00:16:41.420 They come in all different shapes and sizes, including religious, but also not religious, too.

00:16:46.420 They could be liberal. They could be conservative.

00:16:49.420 I've met many of them. But from what I can tell, there's no large hive mind behind a movement directing it all in a religiously extreme fashion.

00:16:57.420 While the CBC did touch on the core argument from my article, critical race theory, they completely failed to engage with the facts.

00:17:06.420 It's just gaslighting. They don't say that I'm wrong because I'm not.

00:17:11.420 The funny thing is, though, if they're trying to imply that I'm a religious extremist, I'm not even religious.

00:17:17.420 I'm agnostic at best. I'm just a nerdy vanilla liberal from 20 years ago.

00:17:23.420 Apparently, now that makes me part of a dangerous network of religious extremists.

00:17:29.420 Oh, and by the way, I'm always ready and willing to provide context about my work to the Waterloo board and to journalists covering my story.

00:17:38.420 Just saying. OK, let's take a pause here.

00:17:42.420 We've seen the board issue statements.

00:17:44.420 We've seen the director go on city news radio.

00:17:47.420 We've seen the chair speak to the CBC.

00:17:50.420 We've seen journalists write stories about me.

00:17:52.420 We've seen academics provide analysis about me and none of them have responded to me.

00:17:58.420 None of them have responded to my requests for comments.

00:18:01.420 So I'm curious how many views are the legacy media getting these days?

00:18:05.420 I heard the numbers aren't great.

00:18:07.420 So when the CBC quotes academics saying that my work is intended to cause moral panic,

00:18:12.420 maybe they should be asking themselves why their own audience is turning to independent journalists like me in the first place.

00:18:18.420 Could it be because we're actually showing people what's going on?

00:18:22.420 Could it be that we're asking critical questions and not the critical theory kind?

00:18:27.420 We're not acting as PR for progressive politicians and bureaucrats.

00:18:31.420 So let me be clear.

00:18:33.420 Every institution has a bias and True North and Juneau have a small C conservative bias, and that's OK.

00:18:40.420 But when the school boards, unions, journalists all echo the same script,

00:18:45.420 they deny, they refrain, they smear their sources, and hide behind vague platitudes about equity and inclusion.

00:18:54.420 That's not journalism. In my mind, that's narrative control.

00:18:58.420 So when voices critical of the establishment are censored and flagged and de-platformed just for gaining traction,

00:19:04.420 it's fair to ask, did someone behind the scenes make the call?

00:19:09.420 Did the Waterloo District School Board, a publicly accountable institution,

00:19:12.420 participate in having legitimate journalistic material removed from public discourse?

00:19:18.420 Despite claiming to support transparency,

00:19:20.420 the board hasn't answered basic questions about how this training aligns with critical race theory.

00:19:26.420 They haven't proactively released the material, nor have they explained who created or delivered the training,

00:19:32.420 and they haven't once engaged with the journalist who reported the story.

00:19:37.420 Me, why not?

00:19:38.420 Perhaps if they acknowledge the facts, they might have to defend the ideology.

00:19:43.420 And if they defend the ideology, that means admitting that, yeah,

00:19:47.420 the training does in fact frame the nuclear family as a product of a destructive, hegemonic force that must be dismantled.

00:19:55.420 And instead of engaging in good faith with their critics, they just deflect.

00:19:59.420 Instead of transparency, we're obviously getting spin.

00:20:02.420 And instead of addressing the meat of the criticism, they just go to friendly media,

00:20:06.420 who repeat the script and add a few academics to give it an air of credibility.

00:20:11.420 We've seen this before.

00:20:12.420 We know how it goes.

00:20:14.420 It's not happening, except it is happening, and it's a good thing.

00:20:19.420 And maybe finally we're going to hear, well, if you don't go along with it, you're a bigot.

00:20:24.420 So that's it from me for this week.

00:20:26.420 Thank you very much for watching.

00:20:28.420 And if you want to understand how deeply embedded critical race theory is in education, among other issues,

00:20:34.420 just go check out my articles published on Juneau News.

00:20:37.420 And if you have stories from your province, I'd love to hear from you.

00:20:42.420 Oh, and if you value this kind of investigative journalism,

00:20:45.420 please consider supporting True North and Juneau News.

00:20:49.420 For True North, I'm Melanie Bennett.

00:20:54.420 You also made a difference.

00:20:55.420 I think we're not paying attention to our tongue to its chairman or the government.

00:21:02.420 In the field of Ribeck or Amin, this is the only proximity one to the centre of Companions Carhabfi soup. 0.93

00:21:15.420 I see a lot of conversations in the region fromAMC.

Juno News - June 20, 2025

Waterloo District School Board says its “Dismantling Whiteness” training is fake… but also real.

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