York stays quiet on investigation of principal
School district says educator’s alleged anti-Muslim postings on Facebook an internal issue
More than a month after the York school board launched an investigation into allegations that a Markham elementary school principal put anti-Muslim posts on her Facebook page, board officials won’t tell concerned parents about the status of the investigation, calling it a “personnel matter.”
Last month, the York Region District School Board said it was investigating after becoming aware of postings on the Facebook page of Ghada Sadaka, a principal at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Public School.
Parents say they are frustrated by the lack of information they have received from the board about the process and outcome of the investigation.
“We were expecting the (school board) to take some concrete action given the nature of the material that the principal shared,” said Markham parent Naeem Siddiqi, whose children don’t attend Sadaka’s school, but a different school in the board. “But we feel that we have had a complete blackout of information.
“There are many of us concerned that the board has a systemic problem, that if something like this was to happening at other schools, it would be covered up in a similar manner.”
In a response to the Star about the status of the investigation, board spokesperson Licinio Miguelo said the outcome could not be shared because “this is a personnel matter and we do not discuss personnel matters publicly.”
“The York Region District School Board takes matters of this nature very seriously, and follows all relevant and applicable policies, proto- cols and procedures. We remain committed to building learning environments that are inclusive for all our students and staff members and have taken significant measures to this end,” he said in an email.
Sadaka did not respond to requests for comment for this article.
In a letter addressed to York school board chair Anna DeBartolo, the civil liberties advocacy group National Council of Canadian Muslims wrote that it was informed by Leslie Johnstone, associate director of education, in a phone call that “the board has in fact completed its investigation, feels that its process was sufficient and will not disclose or share the results of the investigation.”
In the letter sent to all the trustees and some senior staff, and obtained by the Star, the council’s executive director, Ihsaan Gardee, asks for a meeting with DeBartolo and concerned parents. It also asks for the dismissal of Sadaka, “in order to ensure the safety and well-being of students, as well as to restore the faith of parents and community members in the board.”
Some of the Facebook posts the principal is alleged to have shared and commented on include videos purportedly showing violent “Muslim takeovers” of Paris and London, and one headlined: “Must see: Dutch mayor tells fellow Muslims they can f------ if they don’t like freedom.”
In an incident last year, a teacher from the board was fired after students found anti-Muslim comments he was alleged to have posted online. The school board passed a motion on his dismissal at a meeting, and later made a statement to the media.
One student at Sadaka’s school, who asked her name not be used for fear of being singled out, said that the presence of the principal at the school makes her and her friends uncomfortable.
“I don’t want to ever have to go to the office, because I don’t want to see her,” she said.
Education Minister Mitzie Hunter, when asked about parents’ frustrations, said “I believe that every student is entitled to a safe, inclusive and accepting school environment and parents should know we take seriously this commitment of ensuring schools are beacons of inclusion, equity and diversity in our communities.”
Though the ministry recommends parents first address complaints to individual boards, they have the option of escalating matters to the Ontario College of Teachers, which “exists to investigate complaints of professional misconduct, including conduct on social media,” said ministry spokesperson, Heather Irwin.
After losing faith in the board, parents say they plan to do just that.
“We have exhausted ourselves with the board . . . and the local trustees,” Siddiqi said.
“We’re now looking at other avenues of dealing with this as its clear the (board) won’t.” With files from Kristin Rushowy