A Black education worker in Barrie is calling on the Simcoe County District School Board to respond with education — not just suspension — when a student uses the n-word, after he says the slur was directed at him at work more than once.
Christopher Williams is a behaviour specialist and speech and language assistant who has delivered Intensive Behavioural Intervention therapy in classrooms for close to 20 years across Simcoe County. He works at West Bayfield Elementary School through Bartimaeus Barrie, an agency contracted by the board to provide autism support for students with high needs.
BarrieToday reported that in October a student Williams supports directed the n-word at him at West Bayfield, and the student was suspended. About a week after that student returned, a second incident occurred involving the same student, another classmate and physical violence, followed by a third incident — each met with one-day suspensions.
“Personally, it hurts, but that has nothing to do with my profession and what I'm doing on the job with the children. I'm able to separate that,” Williams said in an interview with BarrieToday.
Williams said he would like the board to keep organizations specializing in anti-Black racism on call to speak with a class after the slur is used, rather than leaving teachers to handle discussions they are not trained for.
“Suspending a student doesn't teach them anything, especially if other kids witnessed it,” Williams said.
He said his correspondence with the board has been ongoing since November.
“I've been begging for some sort of intervention. Every time I ask, there's always a delay where they try to sweep it under the rug,” he said. “I'm just tired of the Band-Aid.”
Dec. 2 meeting
On Dec. 2, Williams met with superintendent Kristen Muscat-Fennell, West Bayfield principal Perry Iacobellis, a Bartimaeus representative and Natasha Shakespeare of Parents Against Racism Simcoe County (PARSC), after weeks of scheduling attempts.
Shakespeare wrote to Muscat-Fennell afterward that the board's response to Williams's concerns lacked urgency, adding that “meaningful healing requires being heard, acknowledged and supported with the appropriate expertise.”
PARSC, a non-profit founded in November 2020 that advocates against racism in Simcoe County, says most of its referrals stem from interactions with the school board. Shakespeare said the group was not consulted when the board's human rights and equity office created a formal advisory in the 2022-23 school year barring use of the n-word by students and educators in any context.
She said PARSC has seen the advisory applied inconsistently, with Black students in some cases facing discipline for language tied to their own cultural context, and argued a one-time advisory cannot address the issue on its own.
Board communications director Sarah Kekewich said the advisory was developed in consultation with local Black-led community organizations, Turner Consulting and other Ontario school boards, though she declined to name the local groups. She also declined to discuss the West Bayfield situation, citing student privacy.
Kekewich said board investigations can include consequences such as suspension, along with continued education and support from DEI staff and child and youth workers. She said the board “does not require” outside agencies because its own staff are equipped to handle such situations.
Williams noted the board's equity record has drawn scrutiny before, including Turner Consulting's 2022 employment equity audit and the Ontario Human Rights Commission's Dreams Delayed report on anti-Black racism in schools, released in March, which included experiences within the Simcoe County board.
“I want the kids to grow and learn. It's an education system. So where's the education piece around this?” he said.
