Article content continued

In his email, Kedroe said he and his family are requesting an apology from Blackburn as well as her resignation.

Kedroe and his son are black. In his email, Kedroe references a Facebook post he wrote about the incident, writing: “Don’t worry Donna, I don’t paint you as a racist in my post…there are facts here that are much easier to quantify than racial profiling and discrimination.”

Another Ottawa resident who is a friend of the Kedroe family sent an email of complaint to trustees on the weekend about the same incident.

In its statement, the school board said it is committed to equity and supporting the dignity of every member of our community.

“A part of that commitment means listening to our community and taking action in response to the concerns raised.”

City parks, like the one Kedroe’s son was in, have recently been closed except for “walk though” traffic because of COVID-19. The closure includes basketball courts, according to posts from the city bylaw office on March 25 and March 26.

However, signs have not yet been posted at all city parks. The general rules on social distancing say that residents who don’t have symptoms of COVID-19 and aren’t in self-isolation can go out for exercise as long as they keep two metres away from others.

His son was careful to stay away from other people, and chose a basketball court that was empty, said Kedroe.

In its statement about the incident, the school board said that “many people have put forward suggestions of possible actions the Board might take as a next step. Many of those suggestions are outside of the legislative authority of the board.”