Dear friends of CCEJ,

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that our Centre’s co-founder Dr. Michael Manley-Casimir passed away on Saturday June 7^th in Toronto. In 1982, Mike and Wanda founded the Education and Law Project. This research initiative engaging with matters of law and justice in education eventually became the Centre for Education, Law and Society at SFU. You can read more about the early days of the Centre on our website: ccej-sfu.ca.

Mike was a central figure in the field of school law. In an article he wrote in 1974 called, “School Governance and Discretionary Justice,” Dr. Manley-Casimir examined the double-edged sword of discretion as potentially a benevolent or malevolent, unjust or just administrative action in schools. Arguing for a model of discretionary justice he wrote, “The task is to reconcile the need for administrative discretion with the ethical and legal principle that discretion be exercised justly… to preserve administrative flexibility while at the same time creating safeguards to protect the individual against arbitrariness and injustice” (p. 349).

Today, the Cassidy Centre for Educational Justice still proudly works with our research, school, and community partners to balance these institutional and social points of agency and order. Our goals have always been to advance the principles of a just society through education. We are the proud beneficiaries of Mike’s scholarship and hope that our work today lives up to the vision of justice he devoted his scholarly attention to.

On behalf of the entire Centre team, I extend our condolences to Mike’s partner Dr. Susan Drake, his daughters, son, extended family and circle of friends, former students and colleagues. May he rest in power.

Dr. Özlem Sensoy, Director

Cassidy Centre for Educational Justice

Photo: Ann Cardus, Michael Manley-Casimir, and Wanda Cassidy at the Centre’s 40th anniversary celebration, Dec. 2022. Photo Credit: Maxine Bulloch Photography