Trustees seek answers in principal investigation
Parents ask for transparency, but board says details cannot be given in ‘personnel matter’
After weeks of silence from the York Region public school board, two trustees are asking top officials to clarify if proper policies were followed in the investigation into allegations that a Markham elementary school principal put anti-Muslim posts on social media.
In September, 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.
Last week, the board told concerned parents that because the investigation was a “personnel issue,” they could not tell them the status or outcome of the investigation.
Parents say Sadaka continues to work at the school. The principal didn’t respond to a request for comment for this article.
In emails obtained by the Star, two Markham trustees have asked the board chair, Anna DeBartolo, and the director of education, J. Philip Parappally, for “transparency.”
“Although the incident is classified as a personnel matter and the investigation had been done, I believe that transparency is the solution to address concerns of the community,” wrote Markham trustee Allan Tam in an email sent Monday night.
“Please confirm the board had followed Policy 240 to meet with the witnesses of Sir Wilfrid Laurier Public School who complained about the principal,” he wrote, referring to the board’s respectful workplace policy, which explains how complaints of this nature are to be dealt with.
The next day, trustee Billy Pang also asked for answers in an email.
“As the trustee serving Sir Wilfrid Laurier Public School community, I concur with the request of trustee Tam,” he said.
“The constituents of Sir Wilfrid Laurier Public School community deserve an answer.”
Neither DeBartolo nor Parappally responded to a request for comment for this story.
Board spokesperson Licinio Miguelo said in an email that the investigation “is a personnel matter and I cannot discuss specifics.
“However, I can confirm that in any case where such allegations are brought forward all applicable pol- icies and regulations are strictly followed,” Miguelo said.
Pang and Tam didn’t respond to request for comment from the Star.
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, one claiming the government will build refugee camps in Canada, and one headlined: “Must see: Dutch mayor tells fellow Muslims they can f------ if they don’t like freedom.”
Parents who raised concerns about the postings were told by trustees through emails that the board had followed its policy for investigations, which outlines procedures that should be followed if a community member reports harassment or discrimination. Among the procedures in the policy:
The person investigating must hold a meeting with the persons involved within five business days of receiving the complaint.
In the case of a complaint against a principal or vice-principal, the superintendent of schools will submit a copy of the written complaint and a summary report of the action taken to the superintendent for human resources.
The resolution of the complaint will be communicated in writing to the parties involved within five business days of the conclusion. The community member who initially filed the complaint in August says she wasn’t contacted by the board.
“They never followed up with me,” said the community member, who asked her name not be used for fear of repercussions.
“I haven’t heard anything at all,” she said, adding that she had identified herself to the board in the original complaint.
“Given how diverse the board is, I can’t believe this is how they are dealing with this incident,” she said. “How am I supposed to trust their words, if I don’t see any action?”
The community member who initially filed the complaint in August says she wasn’t contacted by the board