The Waterloo school board in Ontario removed a board member for allegedly liking tweets that are critical of critical race theory.
The school board chair, Scott Piatkowski, stated that the decision to remove member Mike Ramsay was because he violated their code of conduct. However, the board’s website says that the specifics are confidential.
But removed member Mike Ramsay says otherwise.
“I either retweeted someone tweeting something, or I had my own tweet. There’s absolutely no denial, with respect to what was posted. What it comes down to is somebody else’s viewpoint as to what the tweets constituted. This is essentially a free speech issue,” Ramsay said on CTV News.
Indeed, Ramsay’s Twitter feed shows criticism of radical social justice ideology that is increasingly pervasive in public institutions.
“Hope this helps inform some of the discussion about CRT [Critical Race Theory] in Waterloo district school board schools,” he once tweeted, which included a link to an interview with Professor John McWhorter.
“Anti-racism has gone too far.”
Ramsay says he is now seeking legal advice.
Additionally, the Waterloo school board is already involved in a separate legal issue stemming from earlier this year, where a now-retired teacher is suing the school board and Piatkowski for defamation.
Carolyn Burjoski was cut-off in a board meeting while questioning the appropriateness of sexually explicit material in children’s school books.
“The day after the meeting, I was ordered to stay home from school and barred from speaking to my colleagues and students,” her go-fund-me (for legal fees) reads.
“[Piatkowski] attributed to me remarks that I did not make, characterized them as hateful, and accused me of violating the Human Rights Code. The board quickly removed the meeting video from its website so people could not hear for themselves what I actually said. The Board Chair’s harmful statements about me spread like wildfire over the internet, and I received a tidal wave of online abuse.”
“… I am deeply concerned by the punitive way the Board and its Chair acted in this matter. I attempted to resolve my dispute with the WRDSB by requesting a public apology. They refused. Therefore, I have filed a defamation claim with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice against WRDSB and its Board Chair, Scott Piatkowski, to hold them accountable for their words and actions.”
