Today marks one year since Toronto District School Board principal Richard Bilkszto took his own life.
Other than a few former friends and colleagues who continue to celebrate his legacy, the tragic story has been virtually forgotten.
Those friends have created an organization called Friends of Richard Bilkszto to laud current and future educators who embody his values. Their first awards ceremony took place last month.
But the media circus of one year ago fizzled out within weeks of his untimely death and the promises of reviews into the circumstances that led to his suicide — namely taking a close look at the harmful impact of DEI training — appear to have been all but permanently buried under the rug.
It is a sad statement indeed about Ontario’s terribly unaccountable woke school system and how resistant our school board officials are to change for the better.
Bilkszto took his own life after being humiliated by DEI expert, Kike Ojo-Johnson, hired by the board through a sole-sourced contract, approved by education director Colleen Russell-Rawlins, to preach anti-black racism dogma to TDSB staff.
In April of last year, Bilkszto filed a $750,000 lawsuit against the board, alleging breach of contract, defamation of character and reprisal by the board’s woke brass after he was accused — in front of 200 colleagues — of upholding white supremacy, as well as shamed and humiliated at two sessions run by Ojo-Thompson of the KOJO Institute in the spring of 2021.
His lawyer, Lisa Bildy, told True North this week that she has “nothing new to report” with respect to any decision by Bilkzsto’s family to proceed with the lawsuit.
Even though the WSIB agreed in 2021 that the KOJO contractor’s conduct was “abusive, egregious and vexatious” towards Bilkzsto, the TDSB anti-racism brass continued to ostracize him and cancel his contracts.
A subsequent FOI request revealed that Ojo-Thompson was the contractor of choice for the Toronto and Peel Region boards while Russell-Rawlins was in charge — making $315,000 in 2020 and 2021 alone through sole-sourced contracts.
A review announced by former education minister Stephen Lecce to look for “options to reform professional DEI training” — to make it free of “harassment and intimidation” — appears to have gone nowhere, especially with the ministry now taken over by Todd Smith.
Smith’s social media has been chock full of local events and announcements for weeks — and with a premier like Doug Ford, who appears not to have true conservative values, I doubt very much DEI will come under scrutiny.
TDSB spokesman Ryan Bird told True North its external investigation — conducted by the King International Group — is “continuing.”
”While we anticipate that it will be completed soon, we do not have an exact date,” he said.
That makes it easier for departing TDSB education director Russell-Rawlins and the largely woke trustees who prop her up — led by Shelley Laskin and Rachel Chernos-Lin — to slip out the door without having to account for the tremendous damage done by the DEI trainers she hired to push her anti-black racism agenda.
If trustee Weidong Pei has anything to do with it, that won’t happen.
He told True North he doesn’t intend to let her leave without accounting for what happened to Bilkzsto. Still the search committee for the new director is chock full of woke trustees who’ve allowed Russell-Rawlins to do what I perceive as incredible damage to the board.
They’ve turned a blind eye to the violence, to the bullying of staff who don’t agree with the DEI agenda and to the rampant antisemitism within the board.
Pei said he tried to get on the selection committee but was refused by the cabal of woke trustees.
It seems nothing short of ministry involvement will ensure that the board has a fresh start with a new director.
Meanwhile, Natasha Mansouri, a key member of the Friends of Richard Bilkzsto, says she feels something is definitely not right.
While she does not know of any ramifications, she believes there is a “palpable fear of repercussions” among educators who knew Bilkszto or know his story.
”They either avoid talking about it altogether or speak in low voices, concerned about being overheard,” Mansouri said.
She says some were “scared” to attend last month’s award ceremony and tribute to Bilkszto and some of those who did attend did not want their images shared.
It’s a helluva way to treat the memory of an excellent educator who had a beautiful soul.
I do hope that Pei is able to successfully force Russell-Rawlins and her woke cabal to account for the actions that led to this terrible tragedy.
