All employees must comply with the Indigenous Education policy and this procedure within their job duties and responsibilities, including recognizing biases, discriminatory structural barriers and inequities, responding to and addressing inequities, discriminatory structural barriers and actively engaging in anti-colonial approaches and practices within their sphere of responsibility, authority and influence.
Indigenous peoples have the inherent right to the dignity and diversity of their laws, cultures, traditions, histories and aspirations, which shall be appropriately reflected in education and public information. The DDSB "shall take effective measures, in consultation and cooperation with the Indigenous peoples concerned, to combat prejudice and eliminate discrimination and to promote tolerance, understanding and good relations among Indigenous peoples and all other segments of society." (UNDRIP- Article 15).
Indigenous Peoples are the guardians and interpreters of their civilizations, traditions, and knowledge systems. They have the right to exercise, control, and protect their culture, intellectual properties, and knowledge (UNDRIP).
The district is committed to providing services and workplaces that center human rights and equity and are safe, welcoming, respectful, inclusive, equitable and accessible, and that are free from discrimination and harassment under the Ontario Human Rights Code. Indigenous students have the right the educational services free from discrimination based on ancestry and other Human Rights Code-protected grounds.
It is the expectation that staff will engage in ongoing learning and training to seek understanding of the rights of Indigenous peoples and recognize the deep impacts of colonialism and how it continues today;
Schools and other worksites will provide opportunities and foster healthy, reciprocal relationships with Indigenous educators, parent(s)/guardian(s), families, students and community members.