Parents call on N.W.T. education minister to remove Fort Simpson elementary school principal

Parents in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., are calling on the territorial government to permanently remove the principal of the local elementary school. 

The parents, some of whom are elected members of the community's District Education Authority (DEA), met with the N.W.T. education minister earlier this month to list their concerns with Łı̨́ı̨́dĺ̨ı̨́ı̨́ Kų́ę́ Elementary School principal Benjamin Adams. The concerns include a lack of communication, unreliability and an unhealthy school environment that they allege is failing their children.  

Adams declined an interview request due to "internal processes and confidentiality." On Wednesday, the day after the request, Adams sent an email to school staff informing them he would be on leave for the remainder of the year.

Dehcho Divisional Education Council (DDEC) superintendent Donna Miller Fry wrote in an email to CBC News on June 19 that Adams is still the principal of the school, but there is an acting principal while he is away.

Concerns from parents

Parents who spoke with CBC said the Fort Simpson DEA met with Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland on June 6 to discuss the issues, which is when they called for Adams' removal. 

Parents spoke with CBC in the days leading up to Friday's announcement from the government of sweeping investigations into the DDEC's and Dehcho DEAs' governance, finances and human resource issues.

Shawna McLeod, a Fort Simpson parent and DEA member, delivered a speech to Cleveland and provided a written statement that detailed various incidents involving several parents and students. 

The letter says Adams' behaviour reveals "a disturbing pattern of neglect, exclusion, dishonesty and emotional harm."

One example includes a neurodiverse child whose mother felt they weren't properly supported. There were also concerns about how a teacher was treating the child. The letter says Adams didn't properly address the concerns with the teacher. 

A former staff member and parent was also quoted in the letter as saying the education system in Fort Simpson is "crumbling." That person described a toxic work environment, with a lack of support for students and inconsistent leadership.

McLeod said she decided to pull her daughter from the school and is not the only one to do so.

McLeod and another parent who spoke to CBC said they think Adams has retaliated against children whose parents have spoken out about his shortcomings, by not allowing them to attend extracurricular activities. 

Adams' bio on the education council's website, which was removed June 18, said he is from Newfoundland and spent time working in that province, as well as in Nunavut and Manitoba. It said he worked as the Fort Simpson high school principal before moving over to the elementary school. He was listed as the elementary school principal on the school's website sometime in 2022.  

CBC News obtained a copy of the letter presented to the minister and reached out to McLeod to independently confirm that she had written it. 

CBC also reached out to some of the parents named in the letter. 

One parent, Mary Masuzumi, said Adams called her to the school last year after her son, who is non-verbal, demonstrated with his hands that he was hit by someone. 

Masuzumi said Adams told her a teacher had backhanded her son to the floor. Later, she said, he denied ever making that statement. 

Rylan Hardisty-Gillis and Jerri Brenton said they have a daughter who attended the school. They ended up homeschooling her due to issues with a teacher, but registered her in a couple classes. 

They said they were told by Adams that their daughter could still use the school facilities and receive support from the school, which is also required under territorial legislation. But over the course of the year, their daughter wasn't allowed to participate in multiple school events and extracurricular activities. 

The parents said when they asked Adams about why she couldn't participate, he said he didn't know anything about the rules around homeschooled students using school facilities. 

Another parent, Brendan Whelly, said he was emailing Adams to ask about the plan to get a permanent teacher for the school's kindergarten class. 

He said getting a response from Adams about the vacant position sometimes took weeks. 

Whelly said Adams suddenly ended their communications, writing that he sensed "a level of hostility, threat and aggression."

CBC News reviewed the email thread in question and it did not appear to include any threats or aggression. 

CBC emailed Adams about each individual concern raised by the parents; he did not provide a response by deadline.

Education minister aware of concerns

The Dehcho Divisional Education Council superintendent, Donna Miller Fry, told CBC in an email that she couldn't speak due to privacy concerns and confidentiality regulations. 

CBC News was unable to reach the DDEC's trustees for comment.

CBC reached out to Cleveland earlier in the week for an interview about the situation. 

Sameeksha Dandriyal, a spokesperson for Cleveland, responded by email that the minister "is aware of the concerns raised and, as with all concerns expressed by residents, takes them seriously."

"The minister has been engaging with partners in the education system in the Dehcho region to listen and better understand the situation," Dandriyal wrote.

Late Friday afternoon, Cleveland issued a media statement announcing a series of investigations into the DDEC and the Dehcho region's DEAs. An independent investigator will review those education bodies; the government has launched a financial review of them; and the Finance department will do a human resources investigation.

In that statement, Cleveland referred to a range of concerns from community members about the situation.

"I understand many residents want to see action, and I share that sense of urgency," Cleveland wrote. "I also recognize that for some families—particularly Indigenous families still living with the intergenerational impacts of residential schools— these situations can be especially difficult. That's why this work must be carried out with care, fairness, and respect."

In Adams' email to staff on June 17, he wrote there would be an acting principal in his place. In a Facebook post to parents, he wrote he would be "working from afar and periodically at the school."