News Release
8/15/2017
Aurora, ON- York Region District School Board has appointed a Human Rights Commissioner to lead its new Human Rights Office.
Anthony Anirud will join the Board on August 28, bringing over 10 years of experience in human rights law, compliance reporting, policy analysis and mediation practice to the role.
The Human Rights Office is responsible for human rights compliance, processes and procedures to receive and respond to complaints of harassment and discrimination reported by students, families, staff and community members.
“Mr. Anirud’s wealth of experience and expertise will be an asset to the Board as we continue to work collaboratively with staff to implement the Minister’s directives and to ensure our schools are safe, welcome and inclusive,” said Loralea Carruthers, Chair of the Board.
“Our Board is committed to creating safe, caring and inclusive learning environments where students, staff and visitors feel welcome and human rights are respected. We look forward to welcoming Mr. Anirud to the Board and working with him to further this work,” said Kathryn Wallace, Interim Director of Education.
“I’m looking forward to working with trustees, staff, families and community partners and bringing forward innovative and inclusive practices toward advancing educational equity and social justice at the Board,” said Anthony Anirud, Commissioner, Human Rights Office.
Mr. Anirud’s career has included senior roles with several universities supporting equity, human rights, accessibility and engagement and teaching human rights law as a visiting lecture. He has also worked as a Human Rights Hearing Adjudicator at the Ontario Human Rights Commission and Workplace Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Advisor with the Ontario Government. A trained mediator and regular speaker on topics related to human rights, he has a wealth of experience and expertise.
Creating the office was one of the Ministry Directions provided to the Board. The Commissioner of the Human Rights Office will report to the Director of Education.
York Region District School Board is the third largest school district in Ontario with over 123,000 students in 176 elementary schools and 32 secondary schools. York Region students consistently perform above average in provincial testing and the Board is one of the top achievers in Ontario. For more information about the York Region District School Board, please visit the Board website and follow @YRDSB on Twitter.
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