There are calls for Canada's largest school board to create a policy that vets the identity of applicants who claim to be Indigenous when they’re applying for teaching roles at Indigenous-focused schools. As it stands now, the board relies on applicants and staff to self-identify.
Michael Peters, a former student at Kâpapâmahchakwêw - Wandering Spirit School in Toronto, says he'd like to see the Toronto District School Board implement a system to vet staff's claims of Indigenous identity.
"It really impacted the learning of the students and it really impacted the teaching of Indigenous peoples, because if these people aren't Indigenous, how can they really teach through an Indigenous lens?"As it stands now, the Toronto District School Board , like many employers, relies on an honour system of self-identification when it comes to those claiming Indigenous identity.
Deanne Hupfield, whose children attend the school, says she’s had concerns over the identity of a couple of teachers who self-identified as Indigenous at Wandering Spirit. "The Care Givers Circle at Kâpapâmahchakwêw-Wandering Spirit School have been informing the process. The TDSB is in the early stages of developing a procedure that will be informed by Indigenous communities," the TDSB said in a statement.
He said the council provided input to address one of the interview questions, "but at this stage, the Indigenous community has no control or decision making power over these decisions."Peters, who is Anishinaabe from Long Plain First Nation in Manitoba, first attended Wandering Spirit in 2017 after his family moved back to Toronto.
"After going to Wandering Spirit, I can say that I have definitely reconnected with my culture. I've definitely begun to learn my language, that's a big part. So, the school is helpful in that."
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