A 12-year-old Aboriginal student hasn’t returned to London classrooms for months since being tested, and even Thames Valley-area school board officials have called it “harmful” and “trigger”.
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Author: Heather River
A 12-year-old Aboriginal student hasn’t returned to London classrooms for months since being tested, and even Thames Valley-area school board officials have called it “harmful” and “trigger”.
Waaseyaa Couchi, a member of the Nipissing First Nation, was a student at the Lester B Pearson Academy of Arts until Christmas, when she was given a real or favorite quiz asking questions about Aboriginal people and residential schools.
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“I was disappointed and surprised,” Kuch said.
Clint Couchie is Waaseyaa’s father (his last name is spelled slightly differently). He is also a member of the Nipissing First Nation, and he uses the word “offensive” to describe the test.
“Tests make critical aspects of Indigenous history insignificant, including residential schools and treaties, perpetuating harmful stereotypes and inaccuracies,” he wrote in an email to the board of directors’ administration and trustees.
Thames Valley officials said in a statement that the board dealt with “accusations of inappropriate materials in classrooms.”
“We know that students at Lester B. Pearson Arts Arts in December 2024 managed quizzes that contain harmful, insensitive and triggering information,” the board statement said. “The quiz is not a learning resource approved by the Thames Valley Regional School Board.
“Apologize to the students and families who took the quiz to acknowledge the incident and apologize for its use.”
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But Waaseyaa’s grandmother was Giina McGahey, a native trustee of Thames Valley, who said she was not safe to return to the classroom. Her father said the school board did not do enough to help her return.
“When I first raised my concern in December,[the board of directors]admitted it was a problem – but since then, their actions have been completely inadequate,” Kuch said. “Despite repeated requests, the board has not restored a safe learning environment, assumed responsibility or addressed the harm caused.”
Kuch said the board provided her daughter with an apology and a bag of candy at a meeting at the coffee shop, which was not enough. “I need her to come back into the classroom and feel pretty good, but I don’t know how it looks.”
Laura Barrios is a spokesperson for Anishinabek Nation, which advocates for 39 First Nations communities in Ontario. She declined to comment. “At the moment, this matter is related to our political office and we are waiting in their direction,” she said in an email.
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