Elementary school warns parents about student racial slurs

Parents at an elementary school in Ottawa are being asked to speak to their children about respect and kindness because primary-age students had used racial slurs.

Monday's weekly newsletter emailed to parents at Connaught Public School in Hintonburg stated that students used the slurs against other students on two occasions before the new year break.

The targets were harmed by the slurs, the email said, and so were students who overheard them.

Parents who spoke with CBC outside the school near the west end of Gladstone Avenue said they planned to talk to their children about it, or already had.

"It's very sad to hear it's happening," said Willis Kigenyi as he dropped off his son Wednesday morning. 

Kigenyi and his family recently moved to Ottawa from Uganda and his son only started attending Connaught this week.

"It's very good to get the parents involved and send us those emails," said Kigenyi. "I encourage every parent to take part in this and take it very seriously."

He added that while he's grateful the school investigated the incidents, the hurt has already been felt, so he's hoping the board and the school will work harder to reduce to zero the number of incidents involving racism.

Parent Lorry Moller also applauded the school for reporting what happened.

"It's good that they're letting the parents know that they've got to discuss all these issues with their kids," said Moller.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), which oversees Connaught Public School, provided a written statement about the incidents to CBC.

"It is not believed that the children fully understood the harm these words can cause … While these incidents were isolated, administrators wanted to make parents aware of this situation so that families can assist in building a safe and caring school community," wrote the board.

The OCDSB added that school staff supported the affected students.

Racist incidents underreported, advocate says

The email sent to parents also provided a link to the non-profit organization Parents for Diversity, which offers learning resources for parents and students toward a goal of education without discrimination.

Its vice-chair said she's not surprised by the two incidents, even at the primary level.

I'm very pleased to hear that they didn't ignore it or sweep it under the rug.- Letitia Taylor, Parents for Diversity

"Regrettably, it's something that's on the rise," said Letitia Taylor.

"We have to think about 'How do young children hear these words?'"

While the board described these incidents as isolated, Taylor said based on her experience racist incidents in schools often go unreported, especially if they're not overheard by a staff member. 

Taylor also added her voice to those applauding the school for the update,

"I'm very pleased to hear that they didn't ignore it or sweep it under the rug," said Taylor. "They confronted it head-on and did the work of speaking to the children and taking advantage of the learning opportunity."