TEACHER ‘DEVASTATED’ STUDENT OVER AFGHAN COMMENTS

A six-month suspension to a high school teacher who told a student he didn’t want any Afghans in his class was disappointing, a Muslim organization says. The licence suspension for Martin Bonello sends the wrong message, Mustafa Farooq, executive director with the National Council of Canadian Muslims, said in a statement. “The reality is that Mr. Bonello’s remarks devastated the student,” said Farooq, pictured. Discipline records show the incident occurred at a school in the Peel District School Board just west of Toronto four years ago where Bonello was a construction technology teacher. According to an agreed statement of facts, the teacher told the student, in front of others in the classroom: “I don’t want you to blow up my class,” Bonello said. “No Afghanis in here!”