Montreal, June 12, 2026 — The Anti-Racism Program of the CJPME Foundation (ARPCF) expresses deep concern over the Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB) decision to cancel an educational session on anti-Palestinian racism just one day before it was scheduled to take place. This last-minute cancellation, reportedly justified by the Board as a response to “divisiveness,” undermines both the principles of equity and inclusion and the Board’s own policy commitments. The TDSB formally adopted anti-Palestinian racism (APR) into its Combating Hate and Racism strategy in June 2025, recognizing the need to support Palestinian students, develop targeted professional learning for staff, and prevent the erasure of Palestinian identity in schools. Cancelling this session disregards that mandate and signals to students that conversations about Palestinian rights and experiences are unwelcome in educational spaces.
The ARPCF notes that this incident is part of a troubling pattern of erasure and reactive decision-making highlighted in the Ministry-sanctioned 2024 report on TDSB policies. The report emphasized that Board leadership often failed to verify facts or consider broader educational goals before reacting to complaints. When applied to the current cancellation, this pattern illustrates how fear of controversy is prioritized over evidence-based anti-racism education. “Palestinian students, already navigating systemic bias and social marginalization, are particularly vulnerable when the Board curtails opportunities to address their lived experiences and teach their peers about anti-Palestinian racism,” said Jamila Ewais, Lead Researcher of the ARPCF.
Educational spaces have a responsibility to foster understanding, critical thinking, and respectful dialogue. Presenting anti-Palestinian racism as too “divisive” for discussion contradicts these goals and undermines the TDSB’s stated objectives to equip staff and students with the tools to recognize and combat discrimination. Data and experiences documented by ARPCF and partner organizations show that Palestinian students frequently face erasure, stereotyping, and hostility in Canadian schools. By cancelling workshops designed to illuminate these issues, the Board inadvertently perpetuates a culture in which Palestinian identities and histories are silenced, rather than acknowledged and respected.
The ARPCF calls on the TDSB to immediately reinstate the cancelled educational session, ensure that professional learning on anti-Palestinian racism continues as planned, and publicly reaffirm its commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Upholding the rights and dignity of Palestinian students requires more than policy statements; it requires consistent and courageous action to confront systemic bias and ensure that all students can participate fully in learning about history, human rights, and social justice.
About the ARPCF – The mandate of the Anti-Racism Program of the CJPME Foundation (ARPCF) is to create public awareness about racism in Canada. This mandate falls in line with the Foundation’s broader purpose of monitoring and combating manifestations of racism, xenophobia, and discrimination by increasing public awareness of such biases.
For more information, please contact Jamila Ewais, 514-389-8668
ARPCF, [email protected] www.cjpmefoundation.org
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