A letter from the Principal regarding 2019-2020 Yearbooks

Posted On Sunday October 11, 2020

October 11, 2020

Dear Students and Staff:

On Saturday, October 10, 2020, St. Mary CSS held a Diploma/Yearbook/Awards drive-thru pick up at the school. The traditional St. Mary Catholic Secondary School yearbook is intended to capture fond memories for students and staff. We are horrified to discover that inappropriate comments were unknowingly published in the 2019-2020 edition. These comments were malicious, hurtful and racist in nature. These comments are not a reflection of our mission, vision or values as a Catholic learning environment. We sincerely apologize to the school community for the offensive, hurtful and unacceptable nature of these comments.

We have launched a formal investigation, in collaboration with the Durham Regional Police Services, to ensure that all individuals responsible are held accountable. Those who produce offensive or disrespectful content will be subject to disciplinary action according to the Ontario Schools Code of Conduct and/or applicable policies of the Durham Catholic District School Board.

The first step in this process is to recall all yearbooks that have been distributed at this point. All students are asked to return their yearbooks to the school on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 directly to the office. Further direction will be provided in the coming days/weeks, and we ask for 100% cooperation from all students, parents/guardians and staff.

 A full inventory will be completed to ensure that every copy is accounted for.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Susan Duane
Principal