38% of HWDSB students identify as non-white, student census says — and just 12% of teachers

Thirty-eight per cent of Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) students identify as racialized minorities, its first student census shows, while only 12 per cent of teachers identify the same way.

The staff census was taken in 2019, while the student census, released Monday, also showed 32 per cent of students identified as other than heterosexual, while only 12.5 per cent of teachers shared that identity.

HWDSB Human Rights and Equity Officer Yohana Otite said during a press conference on Monday that the census is a "starting place to identify and address opportunity and outcome gaps and disparities that students experience."

The We All Count: HWDSB Student Census was the first census directed at students. It had nine questions and received over 24,000 responses — 48 per cent of the student body — about their race, gender identity, sexuality, religious affiliations and more. 

In the census, students were given the option to select multiple racial identities, which seven per cent of them did.

'Representation matters,' says ACCA director

Evelyn Myrie, president of the Afro-Canadian Caribbean Association (ACCA) of Hamilton, said this disparity between racial identities of students and teachers points out a need for hiring campaigns from the HWDSB.

She said teacher representation and hiring of racialized educators has been a long-standing issue.

"There has to be … a strategy [developed by the school] to recruit teachers from racialized communities. Especially in schools with a high population of racialized students."  

"Representation matters. It gives young people [teachers] who they can identify with, people who understand them."

She said the problem is not new, and neither are the issues that the disparity brings.

"There's been a number of concerns from Black children about harassment as well as over-penalizing Black youth. We know the dropout rate of Black youth is very high."

The HWDSB is currently engaged in a focus staff recruitment effort, which attempts to review its policies related to "hiring, advancement, and inclusion of employees from diverse backgrounds," according to its website.

"As it is evident in the staff census, Indigenous (2.1%), Black (1.5%) and racialized (9%) staff are underrepresented compared to the labor market availability," the HWDSB site says. 

"Ongoing research suggests strongly that student achievement increase the more they see themselves reflected in the classroom, in the curriculum and in positions of power."

According to the HWDSB, recruitment efforts are in initial stages. However, it's already taking action in the form of information sessions, community outreach, etc., it says.

Survey results on languages, religion and more

Students were asked questions about language, where students reported speaking 152 different languages at home. 

English was the most spoken language at 88 per cent, followed by Arabic, Urdu, and Punjabi at six, three, and two percent, respectively.

The census also asked students about their religious affiliations, where 28 per cent said they were Christian, 21 per cent said they were Muslim and 21 per cent reported no religious or spiritual affiliation. 

"This next step on how to use the data has to be defined with utmost care. In collaboration with communities, we will be listening to, and connecting with communities that will be most impacted by the use of this data," said Otite. 

Other questions revolved around Indigenous identities, gender identity, immigration status, and disabilities. 

Otite said she expects the teacher census will be conducted again in a few years.

"But at that time, we'll be able to compare that data with this student census specifically with our own student population, rather than the general labour market capabilities."