Why doesn’t the Waterloo Catholic District School Board practice what it preaches when it comes to bullying?

Recently, the parents of three Grade 5 girls attending Holy Spirit Catholic Elementary School in Cambridge, Ont. reached out to Rebel News. The reason: their daughters have been physically bullied by the same boy on almost a weekly basis – for a year and a half!

That is egregious enough. But what might be even worse is that aside from a single one-day suspension of the bully, the school’s principal, Franco Petrella, refuses to do anything about the ongoing physical assaults.

As well, Gerald Foran, the board’s Superintendent of Learning, also doesn’t seem to be bothered by this disturbing problem. Ditto for the educrats employed at the at the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. And thus, this horrible situation continues to fester.

Frustrated beyond words, the parents are now going public to prevent further physical and psychological harm to their daughters. Hopefully, the glare of shameful publicity will bring about change at this woke and dysfunctional school board. (You may recall that the WCDSB earlier this year had a trustee, Wendy Ashby, who proclaimed: “The most dangerous creature on the planet is the white Christian male… They’re a threat to anyone that is not them.” Initially, the board protected this racist and sexist trustee, until public pressure led to Ashby stepping down. Good riddance.)

We did reach out to Principal Petrella and Superintendent Foran but our calls and emails were not returned. Eventually, Lema Salaymeh she/her, the senior manager of communications for the WCDSB issued the following response (or is it a “non-response”?): “At the WCDSB, we refrain from providing comments on matters related to students.”

Shameful.

Of note, the home page for the WCDSB features a statement regarding bullying. It begins with a Biblical passage: “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body.”

The board goes on to note that it “holds sacred the view that each child is created in the image of God, and that every person must be treated with respect and dignity. Every student has the right to be safe and to feel respected in and around the school. Incidences of bullying result in a negative atmosphere, which contradicts the image of God in each child. The WCDSB and its staff members shall not tolerate any form of bullying behaviours in or around the school.”

Powerful words indeed. Yet, how unfortunate that when it comes to implementing tangible action in terms of dealing with bullies and bullying and misogyny, sadly, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board doesn’t seem to practice what it preaches...