Port Ryerse School

Port Ryerse School is a defunct elementary school that was located in Port Ryerse, Ontario, Canada. The school operated from the year 1830 until the 1950s when it was finally closed by the Norfolk Board of Education due to funding issues. Both Caucasian and African-Canadian students were photographed attending the school in the year 1898 [cite web | url = http://www.nornet.on.ca/~jcardiff/submissions/ryerse_98/| title = Port Ryerse School 1898 | publisher = Nornet | date = | accessdate = 2008-05-12] .

This form of racial integration was unusual for the 19th century and proved that Canada was becoming a multicultural country at that time. Another possible answer is that these African-Canadian children could have been the grandchildren of slaves who ran to Upper Canada around the 1820s, 1830s, and 1840s seeking freedom from their abusive masters. Like most schools in its era, it was considered to be a one room schoolhouse and corporal punishment was used by the teacher for disciplinary problems.

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