Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) should investigate how some students on a recent school field trip ended up at a rally where pro-Palestinian slogans were shouted.
“It's disgraceful… [The students] should be in the classroom learning about reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic, the whole shebang, but instead, the TDSB and these teachers want to bring them down to a rally, a Palestinian rally, and it's ridiculous,” Ford said at an unrelated news conference on Monday.
On Wednesday, the TDSB said, an undisclosed number of students attended the Grassy Narrows River Run, which was organized to highlight the mercury contamination within the northern Ontario First Nation.
The field trip was billed as an educational experience, where students would hear from Indigenous voices about the challenges facing the people of Grassy Narrows.
However, videos circulating on social media showed some young students taking part in the march and repeating the slogan, “From Turtle Island to Palestine, occupation is a crime,” after it was shouted by someone who appeared to be a protest organizer.
In a statement, the TDSB apologized and said that, in general, students should “not” be participating in organized protests as part of a field trip and that that guidance would be shared within the school system.
“The TDSB will also be reviewing its field trip procedures to provide guidance that upholds the safety and well-being of students,” the statement added.
Ford was asked about the incident Monday and called for an investigation into how the students ended up at the rally.
“We'll be all over this and make sure people are held accountable, and they think twice about bringing young little kids, without the parents' permission, on these school trips. It's disgusting,” he said.
Prior to Ford’s comments, Education Minister Jill Dunlop weighed in on the incident , saying she was “deeply disappointed” by Wednesday’s events.
“Compromising the security and safety of students is unacceptable,” she wrote. “I expect TDSB to conduct a thorough review of the situation and ensure accountability with parents and students to prevent future incidents.”
The incident was condemned by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center.
The board did not say which school or schools participated in the field trip.