Trustee Linda Stone’s sanctioning deprives parents of their elected advocate

YouTube / Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms

Ontario school board trustee Linda Stone has once again been censured by the Durham District School Board (DDSB).

Trustees ruled that Stone be further censured and barred from board activities at a Monday meeting of the board wherein an October 5 integrity commission report was discussed.

Commissioner Michael Maynard determined that Stone had breached sections 6.1, 6.3, 6.4, 6.8, 6.11, and 6.44 of the board's Code of Conduct and recommended sanctions be placed on Stone.

The investigation was based on complaints made by three of Stone’s fellow trustees – Cunningham, Oldfield and student Trustee Camera – and relied entirely on social media posts. Some of the complaints pertain to an alleged pseudonym account said to be operated by Stone.

Trustee Deb Oldfield – a watercolour and pattern sketching artist who is a self-described labour and community activist – brought forward the motion to censure Stone based on her “irresponsible social media use.”

“When trustee Stone tweets about teachers, directors of education, and staff, it can be reasonably inferred to include DDSB teachers and the DDSB’s Director of Education and other DDSB staff,” Oldfield said during the Monday board meeting.

Student trustee Ben Cameron expressed confusion over why “Stone continues her scourge against 2SLGBTQIA people.” Cameron stated “I am tired of this,” before condemning Stone's “behaviour that puts 2SLGBTQIA students at risk, that questions and erases the existence of trans and queer people.”

Fellow trustee Kelly Miller urged the board to consider that Stone is still an elected member of the board and that removing her duties will impact other board members.

Oldfield says that trustee Stone simply needs to change her behaviour to be a “full participant of the board.”

Stone originally came under fire in the fall of 2021 when she voiced concerns about various terms and conditions housed within school board policies.

In an October 2021 policy committee meeting about the inclusion of “white supremacy” in the board draft Human Rights, Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Racism Policy, Stone questioned the necessity of the term and called it divisive and derogatory.

“I represent parents. I was voted in with the most votes in Oshawa,” Stone stated in an April 2023 interview with the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) which represents her. “Parents are upset by this. They want to see me at the board and I want to be there to speak for them.”