The word "chief" evolved via Latin, French and English/Scots. A chief was the head of a clan in tribal Scotland; a chieftain the head of a branch of the clan.

That nobody bothered to look this up before making such a bizarre move is quite bothersome. Further, it's clear that they couldn't have consulted with FN people, who the TDSB is supposedly trying to "help", or they would have found this out.

Embarrassing.