Parent David Todor asked Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) trustees more than once Monday evening who exactly is interested in the “sexual orientation and gender identity” of his nine-year-old daughter.
In a scathing speech to the new board, he spent his allotted time of 10 minutes attacking the board’s ongoing “censorship” of meeting proceedings and surveys asking kids as young as Grade 4 to provide their sexual orientation and preferred gender.
He also raised concerns with another controversial book located in WRDSB elementary school libraries called “The Bluest Eye” written by Toni Morrison.
The novel, written in 1970 and banned by many school boards across North America, includes themes of oppression, misogyny and incest.
When Todor read from the book, no one tried to stop him as they’d done with teacher Carolyn Burjoski a year ago:
“He could have been an active homosexual but lacked the courage. Bestiality did not occur to him and sodomy was out of the question for he did not endure sustained erections and could not endure the thought of somebody else’s. Since little boys were indifferent and insulting, he further limited his interests to little girls. They were usually manageable and frequently seductive…”
All of the trustees hid behind their COVID masks except for Mike Ramsay and Cindy Watson.
The bearded Todor, wearing his trademark hat, referred to two highly sexualized surveys by the board last year – one called “Have your Say” and another named the “Safe Caring and Inclusive Survey.
True North wrote about the latter survey.
He said he’s tried to obtain both for two months but the board’s senior manager of research has so far refused to provide them.
He has since discovered that the WRDSB misled parents when they indicated the results will be kept confidential.
“The survey is not anonymous,” he said. “Student demographics will be merged with student achievement data.
“It’s none of your business what a person’s sexual orientation is,” he added.
Todor spoke on the one-year anniversary of the meeting when now retired 20-year teacher Burjoski was rudely cut off by former chairman Scott Piatkowski four minutes into her presentation.
She endeavoured to speak about the age inappropriateness of two highly sexualized books located in WRDSB elementary school libraries.
In the days that followed, Burjoski was put on leave and ordered to keep quiet while Piatkowski and others did the rounds of the media attacking her integrity and labeling her “transphobic.”
They also had the video of the meeting removed from their website.
Burjoski is in the midst of two actions against the board – a $1.7-million defamation lawsuit against the board and Piatkowski and a request for a judicial review of the decision to end her presentation.
The board’s defense on both lawsuits is being handled by two high-priced partners with the Bay St. law firm, Borden Ladner Gervais.
Todor claimed he’s noticed the entire database related to the incident has been “wiped” since last March.
He also contended that a lot of social media posts from the board are “censored” and comments on them are “limited, hidden, filtered and removed” – so parents don’t know what’s going on.
“That doesn’t seem too transparent,” he said.
Todor asked when will the board deem it’s gone too far by insisting on finding out the sexual orientation and gender of his two daughters, 7 and 9.
“I’m very concerned about the inappropriate behaviour (to which) the school board is headed,” he said.
“Who is interested in knowing and affirming celebrating my daughters’ sexual orientation. Why is the school board facilitating child abuse and having these kind of books available in the library?”
