Emails show gov-funded media helped school board spin “family is racist” scandal

New documents expose how the Waterloo Region District School Board coordinated a media campaign with government-funded outlets to spin public outrage.

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New documents expose how the Waterloo Region District School Board coordinated a media campaign with government-funded outlets to spin public outrage after a 2023 training session labelled the word “family” as “harmful to racialized students.”

True North first reported on the training last June after receiving the slide deck from a source within the board.

The documents show that while the board publicly stated that True North’s reporting “lacked context,” staff were developing an internal strategy to blacklist True North, the outlet that broke the story. At the same time, the board accepted radio and print media interview requests from government-funded media.

According to the documents, the board accepted radio interview requests from CBC and CityNews’ The Mike Farwell Show. Both outlets offered opportunities that positioned the board’s senior leadership favourably.

Emails from the communications team show that The Mike Farwell Show contacted the board offering “an opportunity” for Director of Education Scott Miller to address concerns about “the graphic” — the slide describing the nuclear family — and to “help alleviate concerns from parents.” When asked to provide context during the interview, Miller referred listeners to various board policies without addressing the underlying ideological principles.

By contrast, True North sent multiple unanswered emails: one request for comment before publication and two subsequent follow-ups. The board politely declined a Newsweek request, thanking the outlet for reaching out. Emails between communication team members show that True North’s inquiries were forwarded among staff.

In one email, Miller’s executive assistant wrote that she and the director decided they “will not be responding,” to which communications staff replied that the team “supports this approach.”

CBC journalist Kate Bueckert also contacted the board, offering a segment on their local morning show to address “the discourse that’s been happening.” Board chair, Maedith Radlein, told the CBC that people had been contacting trustees “very upset” about the reporting and that “if that was indeed a message, it would be something to be very concerned about.”

“I would like to unequivocally state that that is not our message,” she added emphasizing that the board values families and works with them to support student success.

Shortly afterwards, Bueckert published an article quoting scholars who said the coverage was “attempting to create moral panic around critical race theory in education.” The scholars linked the reporting to “parental rights” groups and “gender ideology,” and suggested it was part of a broader effort to gain political influence. Bueckert did not contact True North for comment, even after attempts were made to correct inaccuracies in her article.

While True North’s article continued to circulate, the board released public statements that addressed the training. Board chair, Maedith Radlein, said in a board meeting that University of Waterloo academic Laura Mae Lindo “was not involved with the PD session referenced…a slide from a presentation she had done earlier was included,” and that the presentation “was prepared by school board educators.”

An email Lindo sent to the director and trustees three days earlier appears to contradict Radlein’s statement.
“In November 2023,” she wrote, “I was asked to conduct a professional development session with a focus on Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy. I was asked to share my slides which I willingly did.”

Following the public controversy in June, several trustees stated that the full training deck would be released. While True North has requested the full deck of training slides as part of the freedom of information request, the board is currently refusing to release them.

True North has continued to request clarification on the missing context, the author of the teacher training, and whether the board intends to publicly release the training to the public. To date, board has not responded to further requests for comment.