Ontario Education Minister Jill Dunlop has instructed school boards across the province to keep classrooms free from political bias as the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel approaches an event that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.
In a memo sent to boards, Dunlop emphasized the need for vigilance to ensure schools remain “safe, inclusive, and welcoming” for students and staff. She noted the directive comes at a time when Ontario, including its education system, is seeing an increase in intolerance, racism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia.
The guidance follows controversy surrounding a Toronto-area field trip currently under review by the Ministry of Education. Students from 15 schools participated in a march highlighting mercury contamination affecting a northern First Nation community. Social media videos from the event showed some participants chanting pro-Palestinian slogans, drawing criticism from the provincial government.
Premier Doug Ford described the march earlier this week as a “Palestinian rally” and accused educators of attempting to politicize students. The incident prompted the province to launch an investigation involving the Toronto District School Board.
Dunlop said that while individuals are entitled to their personal political views, schools must not become platforms for activism or protest. “The focus in schools must always be learning,” she wrote, adding that school-related activities should never be used to advance inflammatory, discriminatory, or hateful content.
Her message underscores the province’s expectation that classrooms remain neutral spaces, particularly during periods of heightened global and domestic tensions, and that education not political advocacy remains the central mission of Ontario’s schools.
