Private school ignored racism complaints: group

• A private high school west of Montreal is promising to make changes, following allegations that administrators for years ignored complaints about racist bullying targeting two Black students.

Joel DeBellefeuille, founder of Montreal-based anti-racism group Red Coalition, said the family of the two girls approached his organization after administrators brushed off complaints.

“They've been trying to tell them that they've been spat on, their hair pulled and they've been called the N-word on numerous occasions by other students at the school,” DeBellefeuille told reporters Wednesday. He said the family's older daughter started receiving abuse six years ago when she was enrolled at College Bourget in Rigaud, Que.

DeBellefeuille said the family doesn't want to be identified because they fear their children will be mistreated by other students or staff at the school.

The two sisters, he said, have been targeted by students through text messages with racist memes, slurs and stereotypes. As well, DeBellefeuille said that when one of the students attempted to organize a Black History Month event at the school, all her ideas were shot down.

Philippe Bertrand, College Bourget's executive director, said the school takes the situation seriously and is acting to fix it. He said staff at the college have received training on the “different realities” of students, but more needs to be done.

“The college will be accompanied by an expert in order to take stock of the situation and ensure that the best practices in terms of prevention and intervention are adopted to ensure that every student feels safe and accepted, despite their differences,” he wrote, adding that this process will take a few months.