The valedictorian at a west Ottawa high school says she’s been told not to come to school Monday after she made pro-Palestinian remarks during a speech at her commencement ceremony.
Elizabeth Yao largely focused on highlights from the past four years at Bell High School during her speech on Thursday, including a memorable waffle fundraiser and the days spent dozing off while reading Shakespeare.
Her comments on the war in Gaza came at the end, after a land acknowledgement.
“As a commitment to truth and reconciliation, I must acknowledge colonial and genocidal atrocities today, including the massacre of more than 17,000 Palestinian children in Gaza,” Yao said, breaking off as the crowd cheered.
The school board’s trustee "agreed that Yao did not break any rules. She cited the OCDSB’s own guidelines, which say “slogans or symbols that signal solidarity, such as ‘Free Palestine’ etc. are permitted so long as they don’t violate the code of conduct.”.
And the board said that no students were suspended as a result of the speech.
So why is this principal’s panties getting all bunched up for? She called Yao and told her not to go to school even though Yao’s not suspended? Sounds like a personal intimidation by the principal to me.
That’s exactly what it is, bullying, by the principal; disgusting.
If they had legitimate grounds for a suspension they wouldn’t have made intimidating comments. The principal wanted to punish the student but knew they had no legitimate reason and hoped the student would quietly acquiesce.