TORONTO (May 24, 2018) - This morning, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) was invited by Forest Hill Collegiate to attend a student-led assembly.  The assembly was followed by a meeting with board officials and school administrative officials to discuss next steps on how to address the incident involving the removal of the Jewish Heritage Month banner in the school's front foyer.  The banner has been returned to its original location following yesterday's consultations.  

The meeting with school officials was productive. FSWC's Director of Education, Melissa Mikel provided a synopsis of six immediate steps it can provide for sensitivity training. They include 1) working directly with students to provide historical understanding; 2) provide workshops on diversity and inclusivity; 3) professional competency training – including certificate courses – for teachers and school staff; 4) deploy the Tour for Humanity, our mobile tolerance training unit; 5) host teachers and students at our in-house tolerance training centre and 6) provide our collection of Academy Award Winning films.  

FSWC will continue working with the board and the school itself to ensure satisfaction of the student and parent community. The organization has been recognized for best practices in anti-racism education by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and most recently received a substantive grant from the Government of Canada for anti-racism workshops.