Second Meeting Reheats Debate Over Black-Focused Schools
Posted November 12, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Round two of a fiery debate on black-focused schools exploded in anger Monday night, as parents, students and community members on both sides of the proposal exchanged ideas, and verbal jabs at Northview Secondary School.
The public debates are a response to a proposal to create African-Canadian focused schools, which in turn is a response to growing dropout rates among the GTA’s black communities.
The Toronto District School Board says more than half of black male teens at public schools haven’t earned the 16 credits required by the end of Grade 10. That’s why some parents say black-focused schools are an alternative that could help turn that number around.
“There is something happening within our learning environment that is causing our children to fail,” said Elijah-Marie Donaldson, who spoke out in favour of the schools.
“I’m not saying that the system as it is works, it doesn’t,” countered Neville McAnuff, an opponent of the idea. “But I think it’s about time we stopped using rhetoric, got down to business and fixed the current schools.”
Trustees from the school board as well as other staff will prepare a report with the feedback received from both meetings with the results to be released later in November.
Toronto School Board Ponders Controversial Black-Focused Schools
Community Ponders The Reality Of Black-Focused Schools
