Page 10 - Professional Advisory on Anti-Black Racism

• Reducing defensiveness when issues of anti-Black racism are raised in the learning environment.
• Engaging in affirming classroom practices that include restorative justice principles when redirecting Black students.
• Recognizing the impact of conscious and unconscious bias in the learning environment and being actively aware of the biases and stereotypes about Black people that are brought into the learning environment.
• Enhancing awareness of the adverse impacts of anti-Black racism by committing to learning more about
the issue, and to unlearning practices and approaches that are systemically embedded and that cause harm to Black students.
• Making efforts to actively engage with diverse communities to help enhance pedagogical practices, for example by actively engaging with diverse commun- ities, or seeking guidance from experts in the field.
• Learning more about Black history and the positive contributions made by people of African descent and including these learnings in the curriculum.
• Becoming familiar with what local and other jurisdictions and school boards are doing to address anti-Black racism and considering which actions can be adopted into professional practice.
Legal and disciplinary considerations
The regulation that defines what consti- tutes professional misconduct in teaching has been changed to help demonstrate the College’s commitment to inclusion, diversity and addressing systemic racism.
It is an important time to acknowledge that competency is required around principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism. Ontario Regulation 437/97: Professional Misconduct, made under the Ontario College of Teachers Act, 1996, now includes “making remarks or engaging in behaviours that expose any person or class of persons to hatred on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination under Part I of the Human Rights Code.”
The prohibited grounds under the Human Rights Code include the following: “Race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status or disability.”
This new provision applies, but is not limited to, the following circumstances:
• Conduct occurring inside and outside the classroom;
• Off-duty conduct;
• Conduct or remarks made electronically; • Behaviour or remarks made to anyone.
According to a recent Statistics Canada report, hateful incidents are on the rise. Given the diverse population of Canada, this is cause for concern. The report identifies Black and Jewish populations as the most targeted, which further highlights the levels of stress and marginalization that Black people often face, despite their efforts to contribute meaningfully to
their communities.19
OCTs are in a position of influence and trust and play a key role in creating an educational environment that supports
19 150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2021001/article/00002-eng.htm
8 PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY ON ANTI-BLACK RACISM