‘I am unsure any real attempt to eradicate systemic racism from PDSB will be successful’: community reacts to $7M lawsuit against school board

Residents and community groups are voicing skepticism about the Peel District School Board’s commitment to stamp out systemic racism after a $7.4 million lawsuit was recently filed by Poleen Grewal against her former employer. 

She was the former associate director, responsible for addressing equity issues and guiding the PDSB into the future, following decades defined by a culture of discrimination in an education system where some 85 percent of students are not white.

In April of 2020, the PDSB, on behalf of its elected trustees and its senior leadership, issued a broad apology for decades of harm done to Black students. 

“In our Board, systemic racism exists,” the PDSB’s leadership admitted in the public apology. “We must do all we can to eliminate the marginalization experienced by Black students and staff in Peel schools.”

The letter acknowledged “harm to the community, particularly to the Black community” and that “decisions were made which have caused hurt and harm for members of the Black community, both those who live in Peel and others who live outside of Peel.”

“The Board and Trustees commit to working against all issues of racism,” so the harm to students and others does “not happen again. We will continue to rebuild trust, redress the impact, listen to the voices of students, educators and the community so we can move forward in our necessary work to achieve inclusion for all through continuous progress on equity. We will make the necessary changes to ensure a safe learning and working environment for everyone.”

Grewal’s lawsuit includes evidence that suggests the words in the public apology by the PDSB were little more than lip service, and many community members agree. 

The former associate director of the board in charge of equity support alleges she was wrongfully dismissed from her job in August of 2023, after facing reprisal for challenging the PDSB’s discriminatory practices, then being blamed for its failures.

She is suing the school board for $7,256,000 and its Director, Rashmi Swarup, for $200,000.

The 41-page statement of claim includes evidence that paints a disturbing picture of a school board that fails to take responsibility for the harm it has done to students.

In a written statement to The Pointer, Grewal highlighted the work of Black advocates who helped guide her own work and inspired her to continue challenging the PDSB. 

“Black advocates, community members, and families raised key concerns about ongoing systemic barriers and the persistent exclusion and marginalization of Black students in Peel schools, as highlighted by the Ministry Review, in Black-led research, and most recently in the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Dare to Dream report,” Grewal wrote after filing her lawsuit. 

“Working alongside community taught me to centre Black voices and narratives, and to approach the work with integrity despite resistance. This shaped my approach to ensure that the work remained authentic, respectful and guided by the perspectives of those most directly affected.”

The PDSB told The Pointer it would not comment publicly on the lawsuit. 

Grewal wants her legal action to serve as a reminder and example to others challenging systemic discrimination.

“I hope claims like this can be a means to hold school boards, trustees and directors accountable for performative equity efforts that are ultimately failing our students and communities,” Grewal wrote in her statement to The Pointer. “It’s also important because those challenging systemic oppression such as anti-Black racism should be protected by our legal system. This case can show others that they shouldn’t be afraid to speak out and push for necessary change.”

Grewal underscores that “leaders and educators” should be able to “do the work of serving students by removing barriers for student success without fear of reprisal from Trustees and Directors.”

There has been an outpouring of support for her since the lawsuit against the PDSB became public.

“The launch of this lawsuit has been deeply painful, in that it has forced many of us to relive the harm that the Board continues to inflict on those fighting to disrupt and eradicate anti-Black racism at the PDSB, from Black students, to Black parents and advocates, to Poleen herself,” Danielle Dowdy, Parent Advocate with the PDSB's We Rise Together program for Black Student Success, wrote in an email to The Pointer. 

“She was the only one at the top that Black parents trusted. Since she was let go, no one in executive leadership has come close to earning the level of trust we had with her.”

Dowdy’s direct experience contradicts what the PDSB communicated to Grewal, blaming its former associate director of instructional and equity support for the failures of elected trustees and others who undermined Grewal’s work, according to evidence included in the lawsuit. 

“Parents from We Rise Together and Advocacy Peel–groups the Board had long committed to working with–haven’t met with the Board or Director of Education in nearly two years,” Dowdy revealed. “Instead, the Board has deliberately shifted to consulting parents and community groups who are unaware of the Board’s anti-Black history, creating an opportunity to undermine longstanding parent advocates. This is a blatant attempt to weaponize well-meaning parents against those who have been deeply engaged in this work, all while giving the illusion of genuine consultation.”

Danielle Dowdy, Parent Advocate with the Peel District School Board’s We Rise Together program for Black Student Success, says the firing of Poleen Grewal caused significant harm to the board’s relationship with Peel’s Black communities.

(Alexis Wright/The Pointer files)

Peel parent Paula Hylton also voiced her concerns and support for Grewal after the lawsuit was filed.

“Systemic Racism is so deeply rooted and embedded at PDSB, I am unsure that any real attempt to eradicate will be successful. This can be seen by the lawsuit that was filed by Poleen Grewal.”

She referred to the PDSB’s chronic failures which led to the provincial government taking over the board’s governance in 2020 following a blistering review that found widespread anti-Black racism and other forms of discrimination throughout the school system. 

“I have had to advocate for my children and their voice at all times while they were students at PDSB. My advice to any parent with children at PDSB is to know your rights as a parent, teach your children their rights, and exercise your rights. Never forget the root or reasons why PDSB was placed under supervision.”

Grewal’s lawsuit includes allegations that the PDSB’s former leader, director Peter Joshua, and others in leadership positions methodically undermined her work to eradicate the institutionalized policies and practices that caused harm to students. 

“Mr. Joshua would frequently interfere with or override matters under the equity and inclusion portfolio. In particular, Mr. Joshua would not approve collecting data and other measures necessary for the proper implementation of the We Rise Together plan. The Plaintiff directly raised these issues repeatedly with Mr. Joshua, including her concern that the board’s equity agenda was not being supported by himself or some members of the Senior Leadership Team, which included the director, associate directors, superintendents, controllers, human resources and communications. The Board trustees were also privately unsupportive, with the Chair Janet McDougald and Trustee Brad MacDonald complaining about being required to engage in anti-Black racism training as Trustees.”

Hylton says Grewal was widely known by Black parents for being a beacon.

“I commended Poleen Grewal for being bold enough to take action. To quote Nelson Mandela: ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’. Poleen was in a position of power at PDSB to evoke the necessary changes in education for the students at PDSB and she was prevented from doing the work. What type of employer does that to an employee? Hired for a job and then prevented from doing the job; so why even hire in the first place? Again, I support and commend Poleen Grewal for the action she has taken.” 

Following the filing of Grewal’s lawsuit, the co-founder of Advocacy Peel and current board member of the group, Tim Vining, shared a statement on behalf of the organization.

The failure of the Peel District School Board to address systemic anti-Black racism led to widespread protest among both parents and students.

(The Pointer files) 

“It is rare to find a leader in public service with knowledge of human rights, a passion for advocacy, AND a position of power to make a difference. Poleen had all three. Those who wanted to maintain white supremacy decided to remove her from a position of power because she never compromised her knowledge of and advocacy for human rights. Her struggle is the struggle of all who seek justice.”

After Grewal was appointed to the role in charge of equity in 2017, she eventually filed a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) in 2019 against Joshua and the school board for allegedly undermining her work. 

Joshua then dredged up a complaint against Grewal regarding her academic advocacy on behalf of her son who was a student at the time (the lawsuit includes evidence that shows the complaint against Grewal was minor, never prompted any discipline and was eventually removed from her file). 

The lawsuit alleges that following the education ministry’s scathing investigation of the PDSB, Joshua used the complaint against Grewal, threatening demotion if she did not quit her job.  

“After the Ministry Review became public in March 2020, the PDSB raised the issue of the [complaint] with the Plaintiff for the first time since October 2019. The PDSB pressured the Plaintiff to accept a severance package in exchange for resigning her employment and settling her HRTO application. The PDSB threatened that, if there was no resolution, it would rely on the [complaint] to discipline and demote her and that this would become public and damage the Plaintiff’s reputation.”

“The PDSB’s pressure on the Plaintiff to resign or accept a demotion caused the Plaintiff significant psychological distress. She felt it was not only unfair to her personally, she felt she would be abandoning the Black community at the moment that the PDSB was finally being directed by the Ministry to take meaningful action to address anti-Black racism.”

Joshua was eventually fired in 2020, when the education ministry took over governance of the PDSB.

The lawsuit details evidence of online harassment Grewal suffered for years after she filed her human rights complaint against the board, a decision that was followed by an investigation Joshua launched into the complaint that was eventually removed from Grewal’s file. 

The unredacted confidential report on the complaint investigation ordered by Joshua was leaked and repeatedly posted online. The lawsuit alleges Joshua was the only person with access to the unredacted report.  

Poleen Grewal was in charge of the Peel District School Board’s efforts to eliminate systemic anti-Black racism starting in 2017. 

(Submitted)

“In the spring of 2021, the Plaintiff learned from the Defendant PDSB that the president of the union for school teachers at the PDSB, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (‘OSSTF’) District 19, was talking about the [complaint report] in grievance meetings and with OSSTF branch presidents and executives, encouraging them to raise it with administration. The Defendant PDSB wrote a letter to the OSSTF President, Ryan Harper, objecting to this breach of confidentiality and harassment, but otherwise did not take any action. Mr. Harper solicited OSSTF branch presidents for any negative information or allegations they may have against the Plaintiff. Mr. Harper and certain members of the OSSTF targeted the Plaintiff because they were very hostile towards the Ministry Review and its criticisms of PDSB staff and blamed the Plaintiff for the results.”

Grewal was eventually dismissed in 2023.

“The PDSB undermined and did not support the Plaintiff’s equity and anti-Black racism work at the Board and then unfairly and falsely blamed her for the Ministry Review and supervision, making the Plaintiff a scapegoat for its own equity failures,” the lawsuit alleges. 

It details the work Grewal did, contrary to Swarup’s claims in her justification for dismissal that Grewal was not effectively doing her job. According to her evidence, she worked 12 hour days and weekends to manage the mounting equity problems across the board following the ministry review. 

“The Plaintiff was tasked with direct responsibility for community engagement with the Black community and attended several formal and informal meetings throughout the year. The Plaintiff was assigned as the Board point person for six anti-Black racism complaints against the PDSB at the HRTO, including from staff and students. These duties were not part of her formal role but she assumed these responsibilities to support the new Director and the Ministry Supervisor…The Plaintiff regularly presented to the PDSB Trustees, drafting over 20 official board reports, including many providing updates on the Ministry Directives [27 practices the PDSB was ordered by the province to implement to eradicate systemic discrimination] as well as other controversial issues and matters that were outside her normal responsibilities.”

Advocates say, contrary to any claims that Grewal did not effectively manage the equity file, she single-handedly kept the PDSB on top of the required work following the ministry’s review, which they say has fallen apart since Grewal was let go in 2023.

“I've witnessed Poleen's work and commitment and the ways in which it cost her professionally and personally,” Dowdy, who was named Brampton’s citizen of the year in 2021, says. “The suggestion by the Board that Poleen couldn't lead the anti-Black racism work is untrue and offensive. Poleen was a trusted partner of the Black community. We knew we could count on her to fight from the inside, while she also supported many Black families directly as they struggled to navigate a school system that cannot seem to stop failing Black students.” 

Grewal, she says, worked directly with members of the community who were denied educational pathways and significant economic advantages for decades. 

“The Board's anti-Black racism has dimmed the inner light of thousands of our children, stripping them of the opportunities they deserve–opportunities safeguarded by their fundamental right to a quality education.” 

She is skeptical of the PDSB’s ability to change course. Dowdy says she is not surprised that the PDSB dismissed Grewal using claims that she was responsible for its failures, triggering the lawsuit. 

“And while the Board engages in endless back-and-forth and legal wranglings, it's Black children–my own included–who continue to endure racial slurs, the indignities of damaging stereotypes and unjust treatment.”

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