A Parkdale Collegiate Institute teacher was fired in November 2021 after arriving to class in black clothing with his face painted black during Halloween, intending a "scary persona, like that of a zombie." Students reported the incident and parents demanded action, prompting termination by the Toronto District School Board. The teacher filed a grievance under Ontario's Labour Relations Act, represented by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, and the case proceeded to arbitrator Norm Jesin. Jesin found the conduct warranted a significant penalty but ruled reinstatement with a lengthy suspension more appropriate because the teacher promptly apologized, showed remorse, had a long record of service and no prior discipline, and administrators initially did not realize he was wearing black makeup.
Gorian Surlan, a teacher at Parkdale Collegiate Institute, was fired in November 2021 after he came to class dressed in a "Halloween costume" wearing black clothing and his face painted in black makeup, with the intention of presenting "a scary persona, like that of a zombie," says the ruling from arbitrator Norm Jesin. Surlan later filed a grievance under Ontario's Labour Relations Act that he was unjustly discharged from his employment.
"He quickly studied the issue, apologized for his actions and was clearly very contrite," Jesin wrote, also noting that the teacher had a long history of service with the school and had no prior discipline on his record. "All of these facts demonstrate that a significant suspension would be likely to have the desired effect of ensuring that the grievor would be more sensitive to the cultural sensitivities that present in a diverse community and would be unlikely to commit such misconduct a second time."
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