School board trustees describe 'threats' and 'vitriol' during COVID-19 pandemic

Keith Penny says he signed on to be a school board trustee to help students.

But as his second term comes to a close, Penny isn't planning to run again, citing the threats he received during the COVID-19 pandemic as a big reason.

The Orléans-Cumberland representative for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) said he doesn't believe in professional politicians, so he's not putting his name on the ballot again. But he told CBC's Ottawa Morning that wasn't the only reason for his decision.

"I've received all sorts of unusual letters, some really extreme, some even threatening myself and my family," said Penny, who is also vice-chair of the board.

"I'm just in it to … create an environment where students can learn, where students' well-being is taken care of. I'm not in it to get death threats, that's for sure."

Out of the 12 OCDSB trustee positions, only five incumbents had signed up to run again as of Friday — the final day to file nomination papers.

Penny said he's not surprised less than half of people who served in the role last term wanted to come back for more, noting people have become "a bit squirrely" and more demanding in the past two years.

"The pandemic and all the difficulties that we faced with various things that we've had to deal with and … the debates that we had have divided our community, have divided our constituents, have divided the people of Ottawa," he said.

One person who is running again is Lyra Evans, who was elected in Zone 9 last year and is vying for the role in Zone 6 this time around.

Evans said she still wants to make a difference on issues that first drew her to the board, including seeking better outcomes for marginalized and low-income students and providing a stronger environmental lens for the OCDSB's decisions.

But, she noted, the job started changing as COVID-19 stretched on.

"The visibility of trustees increased a great deal as we started to make decisions …related to issues that there was no middle ground, that were particularly divisive," Evans explained.

"We ended up getting angry people from all kinds of directions."

Attacks target trustee's identity

Evans, who is transgender, said that anger can lead to people taking aim at her, personally.

"Sometimes when people disagree with me, instead of expressing their disagreement with the ideas that I've brought forward or the points that I have raised, they will attack my identity," she said.

"Sometimes people will send me messages or emails that are nothing but vitriol."

Penny described being a trustee as a full-time job, adding the pay doesn't always match the hours.

Evans agreed, saying there are some weeks where she earns less than minimum wage.

Serving for the right reasons

Still, she said the question of whether more money would make for better candidates presents a difficult balance.

"I worry that if it paid more you would see … people who don't get into it for the right reason," Evans said.

Despite his decision not to run, Penny said he'd still encourage others to try being a trustee, so long as they do it for the right reasons and aren't interested in a single issue.

"You have to be… not really influenced by a lot of the stakeholders," he said. "You've really got to hold the students paramount."