Matt Director created the website VoteAgainstWoke.ca for next week’s election for one simple reason: To bring to light school trustee candidates who aren’t woke.
Director, a pseudonym to protect himself from the social media mob, characterizes himself as a parent who is “pissed off” with the school system.
The GTA parent, in fact, was so upset with the woke indoctrination by school boards, he took his child out of the public system last year and put him in private school.
“It was a big sacrifice to our finances, but it was necessary to protect our child from the indoctrination,” he says.
He said he formed the website – which is incredibly detailed and thorough – after hearing from parents in his community that have been repeatedly frustrated with high taxation that is supposed to pay for well-funded schools. Instead these schools have all adopted woke ideology.
The project is managed by a small group of parents not associated with education (except for having kids in the system).
“No one is willing to go public with their names out of fear of conflict with their day jobs,” he said.
Director’s website identifies trustees that are non-woke based on what they’ve said on Twitter or through e-mails to candidates. They’ve also talked to them in person.
For the Toronto District School Board, some 12 anti-woke candidates are listed including Teresa Francis, who is running against radical activist Debbie King.
Ahmed Kassad and Mike Ramsay are two of a group of non-woke trustees proposed at the Waterloo Region District School Board and Catherine Kronas is recommended at the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board.
The website even includes a thorough description of what is considered woke ideology. For instance, it says that “woke” has been more commonly used in recent years as a pejorative term of those who have taken bold insights into racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia and used them in a “radically ill advised manner.”
Some woke people are so extreme they contradict what should be liberal values such as “free speech and due process,” the website says.
Director feels woke ideology is indoctrinating children with “experimental theories” that value race over merit, often teaching white kids they are oppressors and their fellow students of colour the oppressed.
“It is often people of colour who speak most passionately against CRT being taught in schools because it indoctrinates their children into victimhood culture,” he says.
Since the website was launched in early October, they’ve been “stunned” by the reception. They’ve gone viral on Twitter and have been picked up by the media.
“It seems to have really struck a chord with people,” Director said.
But not all media are content with freedom of choice. In an October 5 Hamilton Spectator article, a writer bemoaned the candidates selected on the website – Kronas included – suggesting they’d bring “a tsunami of antagonism and harm” to Hamilton Wentworth students and staff. The writer doesn’t detail what harms in her inflammatory article.
Director says he finds the article almost comical, saying they must be doing something right with the website.
He invites parents to share the website before the October 24 municipal election with friends, family and on social media and to let people know that it’s important to vote for a “competent and principled” trustee
He says their intent is to try to help Canada develop “the best education system” in the world.
Director and his small group of parents have done an incredible service for parents all through Ontario.
Sadly many school boards have become merely a venue for radical woke trustees to spread their dangerous ideologies and indoctrinate children under their watch.
They constantly say it’s all about the children but in many cases, the NDP, in particular, have used boards as a stepping stone to greater political ambitions.
They’ve gotten away with it because far too many parents don’t pay attention at election time.
With this website there is no excuse.
