An arbitrator in Ontario has made a ruling in favor of a Toronto high school teacher who was terminated for wearing a controversial Halloween costume involving blackface four years ago. The arbitrator has decided that the teacher should be reinstated and receive compensation for the wages lost during the ordeal.
The incident took place in October 2021 when the teacher, while at Parkdale Collegiate Institute, donned black clothes, a black face mask, and black face paint to portray a zombie for Halloween. Following complaints from several students who were disturbed by the blackface, the teacher was let go by the Toronto District School Board after an investigation. However, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation argued that the termination was an overreaction as the teacher did not have any harmful intentions and promptly apologized for the incident.
In the recent decision by arbitrator Norm Jesin, it was noted that the teacher had taken anti-Black racism courses and demonstrated remorse for his actions. He was also reinstated to “good standing” by the Ontario College of Teachers in October 2023. As a result, Jesin ruled that the teacher should be reinstated without any loss of seniority and compensated for the wages lost since that date.
The Canadian Press has reached out to both the Toronto District School Board and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation for their input on the matter.
Keyphrase: Toronto high school teacher reinstated