Derrick Long (Photo from BWDSB website)
The Bluewater District School Board confirmed sanctions against Brockton & South Bruce Trustee Derrick Long for code of conduct violations.
Trustees resolved during a special meeting Tuesday to proceed with censuring Long and barring him from sitting on all school board committees for 90 days, starting Jan. 6, 2025.
The Board of Trustees decided to impose the sanctions last month — at a meeting on Nov. 5 — after reviewing an report by Michael Maynard of ADR Chambers, who investigated five complaints against Long containing numerous allegations. The sanctions imposed by the board were recommended in Maynard’s report.
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The process required the school board to allow Long up to 14 days to respond, before meeting again to confirm, alter or revoke the sanctions.
He did send a correspondence to the board seeking “individual and collective forgiveness,” while also making claims about other trustees engaging in “hurtful conduct” towards him and two other newer trustees on the school board.
During Tuesday’s special meeting, there was no commentary among trustees about the decision to confirm the sanctions against Long.
But the Bluewater District School Board issued a statement to “(serve) as the public censure of Trustee Long.” It details the sections of the code of conduct the board found Long contravened, and goes on to talk about trustees being “collectively and individually held to a high standard of behaviour and level of accountability in our public services to the communities we serve.”
“Each of us has a duty to act with decorum and respect in our representation of all students and families across our district. This extends to our interactions with staff, other trustees, and the broader public. Trustees are expected to demonstrate and role model the exemplary behaviour we aim to cultivate in our students,” the Bluewater Board release statement on Long’s censure says. “Trustee Long had consistently fallen short in this area by failing to act with respect and professionalism at board meetings, and in interactions outside of board meetings. These interactions have left staff and trustees feeling harassed, threatened, and uncomfortable.”
“Along with trustees and staff, some of our students have also been negatively impacted by Trustee Long’s conduct through their witnessing of behaviours that have contributed to undue stress and a loss of morale,” the statement continues. “It is important to also acknowledge the overall impact to our entire board through reputational damage to the organization, and the jeopardizing of public confidence in the Board of Trustees and among students, families, staff, media, and our communities.”
The board statement also recognizes Long has expressed “some regret and acknowledgement of the impact of his actions.”
“We hope that he will use this experience as an opportunity to take the necessary steps to rebuild relationships and address certain behaviours moving forward,” the school board censure statement says.
