‘We’re not going to stand for an attack on our teachers’
The teachers at Bowmore Road Junior and Senior Public School are getting the support of students and parents amid the controversies at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB).
Parents, students and teachers are calling for the reinstatement of staff removed from the learning institution as protests continue at the East Toronto school and at the TDSB headquarters.
Two teachers have been fired, eight suspended, and both the principal and vice-principal removed from the Upper Beaches elementary school, effectively wiping out the entire Grade 7 and 8 teaching staff, according to local reporting from Beach Metro and CityNews.
At a rally outside TDSB head office, elementary teachers gathered to support their colleagues and oppose what Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT) president Helen Victoros called “absolutely unprecedented” dismissals, CityNews reported.
She said the move has “totally gutted the school community,” adding, “The students are reeling. Parents are reeling. The teachers that have been impacted [are] so distressed. They want nothing more than to get back into Bowmore and be able to teach the students that they love,” according to the report.
‘An attack on public education’
Outside Bowmore Road school, Grade 7 and 8 students joined parents, trustees and community members in a mid‑afternoon rally as classes let out. Beach Metro reported that the demonstration was organised to oppose the staffing changes and demand more transparency from the TDSB and the province.
“Bowmore, like many schools in the TDSB, is under attack, and we are here today specifically to say that we as a community, we’re not going to stand for an attack on public education,” Bowmore parent Mercedes Lee told Beach Metro. “We’re not going to stand for an attack on our teachers, and that we are together, advocating for better, for a system for all kids.”
Parents say students are feeling the disruption directly. Bowmore parent Rebecca McBride told CityNews that her children had begun asking to come home for lunch because “they’re tired of others stealing their food … there’s a lot that goes on in the bathrooms at school.” She described the school as “a second home” for her child and said, “They should feel safe. They should feel happy. And they should have some of their basic needs met.”
Safety audit, lack of transparency
The staffing upheaval follows months of concern about bullying, discipline and safety at Bowmore. CityNews reported that major safety issues raised last spring “have since evolved into the removal and suspension of several teachers in a matter of days.”
In a two‑page letter to the school community, the TDSB said it had asked the Ministry‑funded Regional Internal Audit Team to add Bowmore to its list of schools to audit “with respect to safety, rules and procedures and adherence to those,” as reported by both Beach Metro and CityNews. The letter also stated that a new principal and vice-principal have been assigned.
Interim Director of Education Stacey Zucker wrote that she recognises “that periods of transition can bring uncertainty,” and said the board’s focus “remains on providing stable leadership, consistent support, and a positive learning environment for all students,” according to the news reports.
Parents and local representatives say communication has fallen short. “We are not getting a lot of information, so it’s hard because we all have hearsay and thoughts. We really want transparency,” McBride told CityNews. Parent Alvaro Lemus told Beach Metro there is “a lack of transparency and communication from the board, from the school to the parents and the students.”
Late in 2025, an Ontario teacher pleaded guilty to sex crimes against students.
Provincial takeover and ‘abrupt’ actions
The ETT is calling for the staffing decisions to be reversed. At a rally outside TDSB offices, the teachers' union described the firing of two teachers as “unjust” and the suspension of eight others as “a serious” blow to the school community, Beach Metro reported.
“These teachers are beloved, dedicated educators who were abruptly removed with no regard to the impact on students or families,” Victoros said in a statement cited by Beach Metro. “What happened at Bowmore is not an isolated incident. It is part of a disturbing pattern under provincial takeover where decisions are being made without transparency and without regard for the well-being of students or staff.”
Speaking to CityNews, Victoros said the union believes the decisions were made under provincial supervision rather than by the board alone. “We believe that this is taking place right now under provincial supervision. We can’t imagine a decision of this magnitude would not have come across the premier or the minister’s desk,” she said. “Right now, we want a reversal of these decisions and to get these teachers back in the classrooms that they love.”
Beach Metro reported that the TDSB has been operating under the control of the Ontario Ministry of Education since late June of last year, when the province appointed supervisor Rohil Gupta.
According to CityNews, Education Minister Paul Calandra’s office declined to comment beyond the TDSB’s letter, saying they “have nothing further to add.”
Previously, an Ontario arbitrator ordered the reinstatement of a TDSB teacher who was discharged after attending school in a Halloween costume that included blackface.
