A spokesman for Ontario Education Minister Mitzie Hunter says school boards are allowed to have their own discussions over steps that should be taken to reflect the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The comment comes as Toronto District School Board says it is phasing out the word chief from senior staff job titles out of respect for Indigenous peoples.
The board says it's replacing it with terms like manager and executive officer.
But Mark Morton, a University of Waterloo expert in the origin of words, says chief has roots that are much older than its application to First Nations cultures.