WRDSB pushing back over claims it’s banning the word ‘family’

The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) is responding to an online article, claiming it was teaching educators that the word family was “a harmful concept and is rooted in white supremacy.”

The article was published by Juno News on June 4, 2025. It refers to a professional learning session for educators that took place at Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School in November 2023.

In a public statement, WRDSB said the article failed to present the full context of the education session.

“The excerpts shared were part of a larger professional development session designed to deepen understanding around language, systemic bias, and how we can work together to ensure all students and families feel seen, respected and included,” the board said. “The session explored how different communities may experience public institutions differently, and how educators can be thoughtful and inclusive in their communication.”

WRDSB director of education, Scott Miller, was a guest on The Mike Farwell Show and said that particular session was intended to spark conversations that can help develop tools so teachers better understand their students.

“That understanding of what family, maybe, was at one point, to where we are now. It’s just being able to really support our teaching staff and others to see students that are in front of them and how they show up to school and the experiences they have outside of school, within what family might look like for them.”

Miller points out that conversations around race and racism can be divisive and can get heated. He said helping staff navigate these difficult topics amongst themselves will, in turn, benefit students down the road.

“How are we providing opportunities that allow people to make a connection. That allow our staff to engage in conversation that will allow them to see a different perspective, see a different way while at the same time really being learners and really trying to take that emotion away in some cases.”

Miller went on to say that teacher training materials are constantly changing and evolving through discussions of sometimes difficult topics.

The WRDSB statement said its training materials were developed and informed by Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy, the Ministry of Education’s Anti-Black Racism Strategy and the Ontario College of Teachers’ Professional Advisory on Anti-Black Racism.

When it comes to preventing teachers from using the word family, Miller said that is simply not the case.

“Family is vital and important to all the work that we do, so, absolutely that is a word that we actually want to celebrate and appreciate all the families we get to work with everyday. And again, if that was the message that people have taken from this, we apologize for that. In fact, everyday we hope to celebrate families.”

The board said, “in the WRDSB we value and prioritize families.”