Yearbook tampered with after staff approval

Pickering student quotes changed to include racist, body-shaming content

An investigation into how racist and body-shaming quotes made a Pickering high school yearbook has revealed that it was altered after staff had already signed off on it, the board’s education director says

Nine more St. Mary Catholic Secondary School students stepped forward to say their quotes were changed after Durham police began investigating how 18-year-old Joshua Telemaque’s tribute to his late grandmother was switched to a racial slur.

“We have evidence that shows that the comments were altered after they were reviewed by administration; the administration did review them prior to distribution but then they were altered after that,” Tracy Barill, Durham Catholic District School Board education director, told the Star in an interview Friday.

A Facebook post on Oct. 10 from Telemaque’s aunt went viral after she pointed out the racial slur with her nephew’s photo that referred to Harambe, a gorilla killed in 2016 at an Ohio zoo. The post caused an uproar and the public called on the school to do better to support students who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour.

The Toronto Argos stepped in to offer Telemaque a four-year scholarship from the Pinball Clemons Foundation to a Canadian university of his choosing.

Following the initial incident, nine more students came forward with reports of altered quotes. One comment was directed toward a student’s weight and another referenced one’s academics.

Barill said the production of the yearbook took place during the pandemic so it was done virtually.

This isn’t the first incident of its kind at the school. In 2013, a white male student wrote a racist and violent slur, spelled backward, in his graduation write-up.

Susan Duane, the principal of St. Mary, wrote in an open letter dated Oct. 11 demanding the return of all yearbooks.

Barill said further action may be taken, with faculty retrieving the rest of the circulated yearbooks via house calls. Penalties for those responsible will be reinforced and taken seriously, she said.

Susie Lee-Fernandes, the board superintendent of education, pointed to the board’s equity initiatives following the incident. They included discussions with the school’s community leadership group, primarily made up of Black and racialized students.

She emphasized the board’s commitment in creating a safe space in a Catholic environment.

“Engagement is one of our core commitments, and we want to ensure that we provide those safe spaces to listen, so that we can inform what intentional steps we’re going to take to make our schools better,” she told the Star.

The student council released a statement Tuesday regarding the incident, extending its heartfelt apologies to those affected, but adding that it isn’t permitted to discuss details of the incident.

Durham police and the school board are still investigating the matter.