Toronto teacher fired for wearing blackface to school should get his job back, arbitrator rules
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Gorian Surlan showed remorse for his actions, according to an arbitrator, who substituted a nearly two-year suspension for the high school teacher's penalty. Surlan, who had been teaching for 19 years, came to work at Parkdale Collegiate Institute in black face makeup and black clothing on Oct. 29, 2021.
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He wore the costume to an assembly that morning dubbed 'Where Everybody Belongs' that was attended by about 250 Grade 9 students and their mentors. Three students approached their vice-principal about Surlan's costume, saying he was in blackface. One student showed her a photo of his costume. Two of them were visibly upset and one was crying, Norm Jesin, the arbitrator, wrote in a decision dated Aug. 14.
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'He was asked if he was aware of the controversy over Justin Trudeau appearing as Aladdin in blackface. He said he was but that he was not trying to depict any person. Rather he was attempting to portray a zombie.'
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Surlan, now 63, grieved his termination, arguing he 'was unjustly discharged from his employment on November 15, 2021, contrary to the collective agreement between' the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation and the Toronto District School Board.
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Born in Serbia, he witnessed many atrocities while working for the International Red Cross during the Bosnian war.
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Those 'left a deep impact on him,' said the arbitrator.
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'He became a member of the Ontario College of Teachers and obtained qualifications in a number of disciplines including business studies, special education, librarianship, cooperative education and English as a second language,' Jesin said.
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Toronto Sun
15 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
MANDEL: Fired for wearing blackface, Parkdale teacher ordered reinstated
Air Canada could face 'tens of millions' in class action damages after strike chaos MANDEL: Fired for wearing blackface, Parkdale teacher ordered reinstated Get the latest from Michele Mandel straight to your inbox Sign Up Article content They tried to cancel him — but four years later, teacher Gorian Surlan has won back his job. Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account or Sign in without password View more offers Article content In a ruling last week, a labour arbitrator ordered the TDSB to reinstate the white Parkdale Collegiate teacher and pay him almost two years in back wages after firing him in 2021 for coming to school in 'blackface' in his misguided attempt at a zombie-like 'scary persona' for Halloween. Article content tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or MANDEL: Fired for wearing blackface, Parkdale teacher ordered reinstated Back to video tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Play Video Article content Born in Serbia, Surlan came to Canada in 1992 and insisted he wasn't aware of the racist connotations when he innocently painted his face black to match his all-black attire that day. With students and parents in an uproar, marches held and petitions signed demanding his job, the TDSB launched an investigation. Two weeks later, they fired him after finding the impact on the school and community was 'severe, long lasting and irreversible.' Your Midday Sun Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Article content Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Arbitrator Norm Jesin agreed the 19-year teacher should have known better and teachers must be held to a higher standard since they're responsible for educating young students. 'Given the impact of his costume on the student population as well as the community at large I accept that a significant penalty is justified,' he wrote. 'Still, I cannot ignore that once the grievor realized that his costume had caused this upset, he was horrified that he had not been aware of the issue. He quickly studied the issue, apologized for his actions and was clearly very contrite.' According to the decision, Sorlan dressed for Halloween in a hurry on the morning of Oct. 29, 2021 — his daughter gave him some black make-up and he dressed all in black, with a black mask. Asked about his 'costume' when the principal saw him arrive, he told her he was dressed as a zombie. At the time, she couldn't see his face was black beneath his mask. Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Recommended video tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Play Video In an agreed statement of facts filed at the arbitration, a student identified only as H described his class being in disbelief that their business teacher, who would also discuss current events with them, would decide to wear blackface in school. According to H, when Surlan was asked what he was dressed as, their teacher responded with 'I don't know' or later, 'a zombie.' When the principal later confronted him about students being in tears, the agreed statement says the teacher didn't seem to understand the issue but apologized anyways. Surlan acknowledged being aware of the controversy over Justin Trudeau wearing blackface as Aladdin, but said he was just trying to dress as a zombie, not a person. Advertisement 5 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Sent home, he did his research and 'was horrified to learn about the history of blackface and the implications of his wearing of black make up to cover his face,' the ruling said. After his firing, the College of Teachers found him guilty of misconduct in 2023, suspended his teaching certificate for a month and ordered him to take 'cultural sensitivity training.' Once it was completed, Surlan was restored to good standing. The board argued it was justified in firing him despite his having no ill intentions. Even with a different cultural background, he was exposed to countless school seminars and policies and should have known blackface was racist and offensive. His union contended termination was excessive for a veteran teacher with no discipline history and a 30-day suspension would suffice. Advertisement 6 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Instead, Jesin found the teacher should be suspended up until Oct. 1, 2023 when he was back in good standing with his regulatory college — and should be compensated for all wages and benefits lost from that date. The arbitrator hoped that with the passage of almost four years, the students and community hurt by his appearance in blackface will accept that Surlan has taken responsibility for the pain he's caused. 'A significant suspension would be likely to have the desired effect of ensuring that the grievor would be more sensitive to the cultural sensitivities that present in a diverse community and would be unlikely to commit such misconduct a second time,' Jesin concluded. 'This is a case in which there is no reason to conclude that the employment relationship is incapable of rehabilitation.' mmandel@ Article content Share this article in your social network Read Next
Edmonton Journal
18 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Toronto teacher fired for wearing blackface to school should get his job back, arbitrator rules
An arbitrator has ordered that a white Toronto teacher who was terminated after he showed up at school in blackface for Halloween and told people he was dressed as a zombie should be reinstated and compensated for all wages and benefits lost in the last 20 months. Article content Gorian Surlan showed remorse for his actions, according to an arbitrator, who substituted a nearly two-year suspension for the high school teacher's penalty. Surlan, who had been teaching for 19 years, came to work at Parkdale Collegiate Institute in black face makeup and black clothing on Oct. 29, 2021. Article content Article content Article content He wore the costume to an assembly that morning dubbed 'Where Everybody Belongs' that was attended by about 250 Grade 9 students and their mentors. Three students approached their vice-principal about Surlan's costume, saying he was in blackface. One student showed her a photo of his costume. Two of them were visibly upset and one was crying, Norm Jesin, the arbitrator, wrote in a decision dated Aug. 14. Article content 'He was asked if he was aware of the controversy over Justin Trudeau appearing as Aladdin in blackface. He said he was but that he was not trying to depict any person. Rather he was attempting to portray a zombie.' Article content Article content Surlan, now 63, grieved his termination, arguing he 'was unjustly discharged from his employment on November 15, 2021, contrary to the collective agreement between' the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation and the Toronto District School Board. Article content Article content Born in Serbia, he witnessed many atrocities while working for the International Red Cross during the Bosnian war. Article content Those 'left a deep impact on him,' said the arbitrator. Article content 'He became a member of the Ontario College of Teachers and obtained qualifications in a number of disciplines including business studies, special education, librarianship, cooperative education and English as a second language,' Jesin said.
