Suspended Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) trustee Mike Ramsay said he will be seeking reelection. .“I have made the improvement of the public education system in this community a major focus of my professional and personal life, and I hope to earn the confidence of the community,” said Ramsay in a Wednesday press release. .The release said Ramsay’s main objectives for the upcoming term are redirecting the WRDSB’s focus toward every student’s academic excellence, ensuring the board listens to parental concerns, and eliminating identity politics. .Ramsay, who is black, was censured and sanctioned by six white trustees for not supporting progressive causes. This vote happened because of a complaint made by WRDSB trustee Laurie Tremble. .He called the board’s decision “unfair” and said it “has no merit.” He said this decision contravenes his freedom of expression guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and denies voters fair representation. .The WRDSB has not published the complaint, the integrity commissioner’s report, or the investigator’s name. He said this secrecy indicates trustees “have something to hide.” .Ramsay went on to say the majority of WRDSB trustees are “sacrificing public interest in favour of a boutique ideology.” The board, he said, has abused and weaponized rules to silence opponents. .He said he has filed an application for judicial review to address the WRDSB’s behaviour. .“This nonsense must stop!” he said. .“Trustees have a duty to secure the best public school experience for all children in this region, not silence different voices.” .Ramsay stood up for former WRDSB teacher Carolyn Burjoski, who was cut off and cancelled during her speech to trustees in January for voicing concerns about sexualized books available in elementary school libraries. .READ MORE: WATCH: Ontario school board submits defence in lawsuit from cancelled teacher.WRDSB Chair Scott Piatkowski stopped her four minutes into her presentation when she spoke about how it was wrong for books with references to asexuality and transgenderism be included. .Piatkowksi told Burjoski what she was saying violated the gender expression and gender identity discrimination provisions in the Ontario Human Rights Code, which led to her being ejected from the meeting.
