Fury as Canadian School Board Claims 'Family' Is a Racist Word Tied to White Supremacy

The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) in Ontario has found itself at the centre of a controversy after training materials from November 2023 surfaced this month, leading to allegations that teachers were instructed that the word 'family' is harmful and rooted in white supremacy.

The controversy reignited in early June 2025 when alternative media outlets published stories about the professional development session, prompting the school board to issue two separate statements defending the training and clarifying its position on families.

The Training Session

The disputed materials came from a November 2023 professional development session titled 'Dismantling Whiteness at W-O: Words Matter' held at Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School near Baden, Ontario. According to leaked training slides, staff were reportedly shown materials that characterized the word 'family' as potentially harmful to racialized students because it:

• Implies nuclear family structure and male authority
• Values positions of hierarchy
• Asks for obedience with no room for questions or criticism
• Creates expectations to prioritize family needs while sacrificing personal boundaries

The presentation allegedly drew from 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.

Board's Response

The WRDSB has categorically denied the characterizations of the training, issuing two official statements in June 2025.

In their first statement on June 6, the board clarified that '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.'

Board Chair Maedith Radlein followed up with a stronger statement on June 10, stating categorically: 'The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) is teaching that the word 'family' is racist. I would like to state categorically that this is not the case. The word 'family' and what it represents is integral to all we do.'

Radlein explained that the controversial materials were taken out of context from a broader discussion about inclusive communication. 'That screenshot was interpreted to mean that what was being said was that we are against family. That screenshot was, in fact, part of a larger presentation that was a discussion about language,' she told CBC's The Morning Edition.

A report by Juno News of Canada said during the event, entitled Dismantling Whiteness at W-O: Words Matter, it claimed the word 'asks for obedience' with 'no room for questions or criticism,' and insinuates an 'expectation to prioritize family's needs and wants; sacrificing personal boundaries,' Juno News reported.