“No Consequences Equals Repeated Behavior!”
Discussion: Janice Sargeant Emails – October 23, 2023 – October 24, 2023
69.1 When the applicant was in geography class on October 23, 2023, he was the target of discriminatory and ignorant behavior by two Black student’s. The applicant knows these two Black student since they are part of the three students who were involved in the September 25, 2023 “Chocolate Timbit” incident . The same Blacks students that Janice Sargeant determined the appropriate next steps would be, is to NOT to address and speak to them about their questionable conduct back on that day.
69.2 This first Black student occupies seat six in the front row, which is to the immediately left of the applicant who sits in the fourth seat in the front row. While the applicant was speaking to his friend that had also attended Connaught Public School with him in Grade 7 and part of grade 8. The Black student started openly mocking the applicant and the way he speaks.
69.3 The Black student began to moan and shake his right arm back and forth in front of his chest in a deformed/contorted position as if he was suffering from Multiple Sclerosis or some other crippling disease. The applicant was reluctant to confront the Black student to avoid any conflicts, but he decided that he had no other option. So when he finally decided it was time to take charge he stated, “Stop your bullshit and grow the fuck up!” before ending the conversation.
69.4 The Black student proceeded to disregard the applicant’s feelings on the matter and continued on. At this moment, a second Black student chose to join in and encourage the first Black student to continue making fun of and insulting the applicant.
69.5 This second Black student who seats in the same row 6 and the second seat from the back, who was also part of the racial slurs and insults that were openly used in the same classroom on September 25, 2023, during the “Chocolate Timbit” incident.
69.6 This second Black student was also a participant back on September 25, 2023 whose egregiously inappropriate actions and behavior from that day were never addressed by Janice Sargeant and Kevin Elzinga.
69.7 When the two Black students tried to provoke another response out of the applicant, he showed great control and handle the situation really well and just concentrate on his work which seemed to agitate the Black students more. This went on for about a minute, and only after the teacher moved to the front of the classroom, did the inappropriate conduct end.
69.8 There can be absolutely no misinterpretation of thoughts here. The Black students were simply implying that the applicant was slow, intellectually challenged and retarded!
69.9 The applicant was extremely upset and angry when he was telling his father what had happened in class that day after he got into their car after school. The applicant was crying as he asked his father “Why are kids so mean to me for no reason?”
69.10 The father clarified that there might be a number of causes, but the primary one was that on September 25, 2023, when the “Chocolate Timbit” incident involving these two Black students and a Caucasian student first occurred. The DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage, Kevin Elzinga and Janice Sargeant neglected to confront their behavior and actions. Essentially opening the door for these Black students to believe they can now escalate their behavior and act more aggressively.
69.11 The father ensured their son he would send out an email to the principal immediately!
To: Janice Sargeant janice.sargeant@dsbn.org
Warren Hoshizaki warren.hoshizaki@dsbn.org
Mary Anne Gage maryanne.gage@dsbn.org
Dated: October 23, 2023
I’m alerting you to the fact that a Black student made fun of and disrespected my son today. He ordered him to stop, and now we will see what happens and where it leads to?
Welcome to the world of bi-racial individuals. You are not regarded as Black by Black people, nor are you regarded as Caucasian by Caucasians.
From: Janice Sargeant janice.sargeant@dsbn.org
Dated: October 23, 2023
Hello, If your son would like to discuss this incident with me he is welcome to at any time. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
To: Janice Sargeant janice.sargeant@dsbn.org
Dated: October 23, 2023
And if we discuss it with you. What is your next course of action gonna be?
To: Janice Sargeant janice.sargeant@dsbn.org
Warren Hoshizaki warren.hoshizaki@dsbn.org
Mary Anne Gage maryanne.gage@dsbn.org
Dated: October 24, 2023
And for s second time we will ask. And if we discuss it with you. What is your next course of action gonna be?
This never gets old with you folks? Again trying to ignore us just continues to prove our point with the HRTO. Clearly our son’s wellbeing and safety are not the priority with you. How many other parents have to CONTINUOUSLY SEND MULTIPLE copies of the same emails in regards to their children being bullied before you respond?
We will be waiting for response.
From: Janice Sargeant janice.sargeant@dsbn.org
Dated: October 24, 2023
If your son would like to discuss the incident you shared on Oct 23/23 I would listen and seek to understand what happened and then determine appropriate next steps.
Please understand that during the school day I am often not able to respond to emails as I am working with students and staff.
69.12 We now have proof that the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage, Kevin Elzinga and Janice Sargeant did not look into or speak to the racist Caucasian student in the applicant’s geography class on September 25, 2023. Nor did they investigate and speak with the two Black students who also took part in the “Chocolate Timbit” incident from nearly a month earlier where they uttered fearlessly racial epithets and slurs at each other.
69.13 We have established that the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage, Kevin Elzinga and Janice Sargeant failed to consider or impose mandated disciplinary action against the Caucasian student and his two Black copartners for their racist behavior.
69.14 The DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage and Janice Sargeant have failed to appropriately handle and investigate Kevin Elzinga’s racist behavior, as they willfully presented two distinct racist incidents, one of which involves a second substitute teacher fabricating an incident that never occurred.
69.15 And it is unquestioned that the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage and Janice Sargeant are comfortable with all of these abuses of human rights and the contradictory lies that her staff has been feeding her.
69.16 It is clear that the “first goal was to ensure that your son felt safe and had a positive experience in class today” was not the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage and Janice Sargeant priority. And since the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage and Janice Sargeant had previously demonstrated their unwillingness to take appropriate mandated action against the three students and Kevin Elzinga. The applicant decided he would have to address this type of situation on his own. AGAIN! The applicant conclude that again he reached out for help and all the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage and Janice Sargeant did was NOTHING!
69.17 One could assume that there could have been a good chance the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage and Janice Sargeant would have stepped in and addressed this second issue as the offenders were Black students. But then again, there is a chance that they would not have; as when they were offered up with the Caucasian student back on September 25, 2023 as being part of the three, the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage and Janice Sargeant did nothing. But again maybe they might have this time, as there was no Caucasian student involved. So all discipline could be given out swiftly and without fear of having to include their preference Caucasian student.
69.18 Studies have proven that Black offenses get more attention than offenses that included a Caucasian student. Research has proven Black male students “were more likely to be seen as troublemakers, and their misbehavior more severe, than Caucasian counterparts for exactly the same behavior”
69.19 Therefore, it’s possible that the racist DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage and Janice Sargeant would have disciplined the two Black students. The same discipline measure that they purposefully neglected to apply in regards to the prejudiced Caucasian student from a month earlier.
69.20 Researchers led by Yale professor Walter Gilliam showed 135 educators videos of children in a classroom setting. Each video had a black boy and girl, and a white boy and girl. The teachers were told the following:
69.21 We are interested in learning about how teachers detect challenging behavior in the classroom. Sometimes this involves seeing behavior before it becomes problematic. The video segments you are about to view are of preschoolers engaging in various activities. Some clips may or may not contain challenging behaviors. Your job is to press the enter key on the external keypad every time you see a behavior that could become a potential challenge.
69.22 While the teachers were asked to detect challenging behavior no such behavior existed in any of the videos. Yet when asked which children required the most attention, 42% of the teachers identified the black boy.
69.23 The participants conscious appraisal of whom they believed required the most attention closely mirrored the independent results of an eye-tracking technology used by the research team, which noted that preschool teachers show a tendency to more closely observe black students, and especially boys, when challenging behaviors are expected.
Read More – Teachers’ Implicit Bias Against Black Students Starts In Preschool Study Finds
69.24 A second study followed the same protocol and asked teachers whether they thought the misbehavior was part of a pattern and whether they could imagine themselves suspending the student in the future.
69.25 The researchers randomly assigned names to the files, suggesting in some cases that the student was black (with a name such as DeShawn or Darnell) and in other cases that the student was white (with a name such as Greg or Jake).
69.26 Across both studies, the researchers found that racial stereotypes shaped teachers’ responses not after the first infraction but rather after the second. Teachers felt more troubled by a second infraction they believed was committed by a black student rather than by a white student.
Read More – Teachers More Likely To Label Black Students As Troublemakers
69.27 It alleges to have uncovered evidence of racial bias among a sample of school principals and assistant principals. African-American middle-school and high-school boys were more likely to be seen as troublemakers, and their misbehavior more severe, than Caucasian counterparts for exactly the same behavior, researchers found.
Read More – Black Children Are More Likely To Be Disciplined Than White Kids For The Same Behavior
69.28 RACIAL STEREOTYPES – Across both studies, racial stereotypes shaped teachers’ responses not after the first infraction but rather after the second. Teachers felt more troubled by a second infraction they believed was committed by a black student rather than by a white student.
69.29 In fact, the stereotype of black students as troublemakers led teachers to want to discipline black students more harshly than white students after two infractions. They were more likely to see the misbehavior as part of a pattern, and to imagine themselves suspending that student in the future.
Read More – Teachers More Likely To Label Black Students As Troublemakers
69.30 Let us make it very clear. The only reason the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage and Janice Sargeant determined that there was no need to intervening in regards to the racist incident of September 25, 2023 was because the offending student was Caucasian. PERIOD!
69.31 Remember that 66% of Canadians polled disagreed that Canada was a racist nation, according to a recent Angus Reid Institute poll. This means that 2 out of every 3 DSBN employees think racism doesn’t exist or isn’t a problem in Canada.
69.32 Remember Global News stated “We found that (almost) 50 per cent of Canadians believe it’s OK and actually normal to have racist thoughts,” said Sean Simpson, vice-president of Ipsos Public Affairs.”
Read More – Nearly 50% Of Canadians Think Racist Thoughts Are Normal
69.33 What does this signify for the DSBN workforce? It indicates that the White Staffing /Organizational Whiteness is supported in the DSBN culture. It was determined by the Turner Consulting Group that Warren Hoshizaki and the DSBN through their recommendations that White Staffing /Organizational Whiteness is a serious problem within the DSBN and it needed to be addressed and resolved.
69.34 Remember that there are individuals right now that work for the DSBN that still believe that “Diversity should not be a consideration when hiring” and that a“census” about it “is a waste of money!”
69.35 So maybe the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage and Janice Sargeant believe that “Diversity should not be a consideration when” trying to determine is something is a racist act or not? Maybe the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage and Janice Sargeant feel that a in depth investigation into the behavior of all individuals involved, including her staff member Kevin Elzinga and a lying second substitute teacher “is a waste of money”
69.36 Thus again, let’s not act as though the involvement of a Caucasian student had nothing to do with the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage, Kevin Elzinga and Janice Sargeant’s lack of involvement in the incident. Because it was the sole reason the incident went uninvestigated and absolutely no disciple action was taken towards the three students or two Caucasian teachers.
69.37 So it goes without say that without disciplining the Caucasian student first, they could not discipline the Black students. PERIOD!
69.38 They could not discipline the Black students if they did not first discipline the Caucasian student. Therefore, why did the Black student target the applicant on this particular day? Because of Kevin Elzinga and the DSBN culture back on September 25, 2023 gave the Caucasian student a free Caucasian pass, which unintentionally helped the Black students from being held accountable.
69.39 One can assume that maybe they acted out against the applicant because he;
- is bi-racial and they are not?
- has a lighter complexion?
- is a quite student and they are loud?
- does not trying to be the class clown as they do?
69.40 Like with a lot of things in material, one can only assume about people’s actions. Only if they intentionally use racist slurs or stay silent and complacent even though they should act but choose not to. Nobody is able to read the reasoning of another person’s mind for their conduct. However based on a preponderance of evidence, one can make a fair determination that more likely than not what was their motivation behind their behavior.
69.41 Furthermore, there is a prejudice between people with darker skin tones and those with lighter skin tones does exist within the Black community. It is a persistent issue and perhaps these Black students have a genuine distaste for a member of their own race simply because they perceive the applicant complexion as some form of resentment. Why would any Black student randomly turn against another Black student for no reason in a system that is so stacked against them? Because in the end the WHY is not important!
69.42 What is important is that because the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage, Kevin Elzinga and Janice Sargeant refused to address these student’s behavior back on September 25, 2023. And because these students and their intolerable behavior when unchecked, much like the DSBN and Warren Hoshizaki had been for over a decade. This applicant became the subject of their cruel behavior!
69.43 The unacceptable failure by not only Kevin Elzinga and Janice Sargeant is to blame for this unprovoked and unnecessary attack against the applicant. This is the result of many, many years of the DSBN racist culture that has refused to grow and emphasize with racialized students.
69.44 A workforce and culture that refuses to learn to recognize their own racial prejudices that has been created by the DSBN and people like Mary Anne Gauge, Jacqueline Ravazzolo, Jennifer Feren, Christopher McInnis, Kevin Maddalena all the while Warren Hoshizaki is at the helm of this runaway ship!
69.45 The results of their lack of due diligence and mandated obligations back on September 25, 2023 created an ideal situation for these two Black students to now decided it was the perfect time to attack a quiet, peaceful and polite racialized student for no other reason than for their own entertainment and amusement because, they knew that accountability does not exist within the DSBN school board or at Thorold Secondary School!
69.46 It begs the question: Did the geography teacher hear what was happening that day and choose, like Kevin Elzinga, to stay out of the way? Or did he just not hear what was going on ten feet away because he was so preoccupied aiding other students? As previously mentioned, since we are not able to read people’s minds, many of the questions in this material can only be assumed to be true or are just left unanswered.
69.47 What the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage, Kevin Elzinga and Janice Sargeant don’t seem to understand is that their lack of actions have consequences. In the case of the applicant, these consequences include having to defend their own self-worth against other students or a classroom full of peers who believe it’s okay to make fun of him and act like he’s disabled because he speaks differently than other students in the class.
69.48 What the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage, Kevin Elzinga and Janice Sargeant do not appear to comprehend or care about is that – No Consequences Equals Repeated Behavior!
69.49 The DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage, Kevin Elzinga and Janice Sargeant clearly have once again failed to shield the applicant from this kind of abusive behavior. The only explanation for why these students targeted the Black applicant was the DSBN, Warren Hoshizaki, Mary Anne Gage, Kevin Elzinga and Janice inability to appropriately and swiftly address the racism, lies and actions of everyone associated with the “Chocolate Timbit” incident.
69.50 But as long as it is not their Caucasian children on the receiving end of this hatful treatment. What is the harm in not properly investigating and dealing with it?