Mississauga Teacher Suspended Over Alleged Participation in Political Protest
Published August 10, 2016 at 2:38 am
Although one might think personal politics are typically off limits when it comes to workplace discipline, a Mississauga teacher has found herself in hot water.
According to a recent Canadian Press article, a local elementary school teacher has been suspended after an advocacy group claimed she participated in an anti-Israel protest.
The CP reports that the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board says Nadia Shoufani, a teacher at St. Catherine of Siena, has been suspended with pay. The board is currently investigating the allegations.
According to the article, the board claims concerns were brought forth by “the community and public at large” over the teacher’s “professional conduct.” The board has brought the issues to the Ontario College of Teachers for review, but has not — at this juncture, at least — confirmed that the issues are related to the protest.
CP reports that the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs says the suspension is related to comments the teacher made at the Al-Quds Day event in Toronto in July. The group — who filed a complaint against the teacher — alleges Shoufani urged the public to “support the resistance (against Israel) in any form.”
Well, it appears that participating in fraught political protests can indeed affect one’s employment status.
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What do you think, Mississauga? Should Shoufani’s political activism be off limits when it comes to professional discipline, or is her alleged involvement in the protest troubling enough to warrant a suspension and investigation?
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