Contact the Ontario Minister of Education and your MPP to express your concerns about antisemitism in public schools

Dear Friends,

We are writing about the extremely serious and persistent problem of antisemitism in our public schools and urge you to contact the Ontario Minister of Education and your MPP to express your concerns.

The recent federal report commissioned Debra Lyons, Canada’s Special Envoy on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism, confirms what we knew – that there is a systemic problem of antisemitism in Ontario’s education system. Jewish students are being harassed by other students as well as by teachers and administrators; the boards are failing to address the problem and hold staff accountable. The report, which received national and international coverage, can be found here: Antisemitism in Ontario’s K–12 Schools. CIJA, B’nai Brith Canada, ALCCA and others have recently put out calls to action. We are amplifying those requests.

While the Province establishes curriculum standards and guidelines, the individual school boards set specific policies and implement the guidelines, giving them considerable discretion. In late June, the province put four boards, including the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), under supervision due to significant financial inconsistencies. This “takeover” of the boards may provide an opportunity for the Minister of Education to assert policy direction in matters such as combatting antisemitism in the schools (particularly the TDSB).

Please write to your MPP and the Minister of Education (contact info below) to voice your concerns. As always, we urge you to personalize your letter - as a constituent, parent, grandparent, educator, etc. Setting up a phone call or meeting with your MPP about this would be most effective. If you would prefer to sign CIJA’s letter, here is the link: Action Letter

Consider any of the following in your communication:

• The recent report, Antisemitism in Ontario’s K-12 Schools, makes it clear that antisemitism is a significant problem in our schools and that it is long past the time for action. Our public education system is based on the value of respect for the diversity of our multicultural population – hatred of one particular group is unacceptable and will lead to the demise of that system.

• The Province must enforce school board accountability including consequences for educators who ignore or commit antisemitic acts and appoint provincial supervisors where needed.

• The Province should develop a province-wide strategy to confront anti-Jewish hate in schools including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Mandate staff training on antisemitism and its current manifestations

  • Provide guidance to reduce divisive geopolitics in classrooms

  • Establish a standardized hate incident reporting system

  • Mandate adopting and implementing the IHRA definition of antisemitism in every board

  • Investigate and address antisemitism in Ontario teacher training programs

Contact information:

• Minister of Education: Hon. Paul Calandra, 416-325-2600, minister.edu@ontario.ca

• MPPs: www.ola.org/en/members/current/contact-information

Thank you for taking action.