Mother seeks answers after alleged bullying, racist incidents at school

A Toronto mother is taking on the Toronto District School Board after she says her daughter was assaulted by a male student in class.

The family says it has now hired a lawyer, claiming the school isn’t providing them with information on what led to the incident.

CityNews has decided not to identify any of the students or their schools.

The woman, who’s name is Tara, alleges the school called her on March 27th when her daughter was punched in the face and the boy threw a binder at her. That’s when she said she also found out from the school that her daughter had been targeted by this same student for months, adding that back in November she was called the ‘N’ word.

Back in November, Tara said she received a call from the middle school informing her that there were problems between the two students but that staff would take care of it. She adds that she had no indication that there were further problems between the two.

The daughter apparently didn’t notify her mother of these incidents because she said she didn’t want her mother to come to the school and make a scene.

CityNews reached out to the TDSB for an interview but our requests were denied, so we sent the school board a list of questions asking if the school was aware of the history between these two students, if parents were notified, and if school procedures were followed.

A spokesperson would only provide an email statement saying they are aware of social media posts expressing concern over the incidents.

“It is important to note that the violent incident was dealt with by the school when it occurred in March and resulted in serious consequences,” said TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird. “At that time, staff also became aware of the allegation of a past racist remark. The incident was addressed when it took place and concerns expressed by those involved continue to be taken seriously.”

On Friday, the principal of the school sent a letter home to parents providing an update on how the school is handling the matter.

“The TDSB has clear policies and procedures that guide us when responding to incidents of violence or hate. In this specific case, there were gaps in how the procedures were followed and for that, we apologize,” reads the letter.

“As a system, we know that anti-black racism exists within our schools and we remain committed to identifying, challenging and overcoming it.”

Toronto Police have confirmed to CityNews that two police reports have been filed by the parents of both students. No charges have been laid, though police tell CityNews a school officer will be following up with the two families and school administration.