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Home My WebLink About13.1.c. Ad Hoc Policy Review Committee Report, 19 September 2023 1 AD HOC POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE September 19, 2023, 5:00 pm Zoom Meeting Members: Lyra Evans (electronic communication), Nili Kaplan-Myrth (electronic communication), Cathryne Milburn, Lynn Scott (electronic communication) Non Voting Members: Justine Bell (electronic communication), Donna Blackburn (electronic communication), Pino Buffone (Director of Education), Brett Reynolds (Associate Director of Education), Monique Manatch (Indigenous Education Council), Calla Barnett (Parent Involvement Committee), Nicole Guthrie (Manager, Board Services), Darren Gatley (Senior Board Coordinator) 1. Call to Order Chair Milburn called the in camera meeting to order at 5:05 p.m 2. Acknowledgement of Territorial Lands Chair Milburn acknowledged that the meeting is taking place on unceded Algonquin Homelands and thanked the Algonquin Nations for hosting the meeting on their land. Monique Manatch offered an opening to the meeting. 3. Declarations of Interest No declarations of interest were filed. 4. Approval of the Agenda Moved by Trustee Kaplan-Myrth, THAT the agenda be approved. Carried 5. Matters for Discussion: 5.1 2023-2024 Policy Review Work Plan General Manager Guthrie introduced the draft Policy Review Work Plan and noted that the work plan may be updated as the 2023 -2024 school year progresses and that it aims to align with the key areas of focus identified in the 2023-2027 Strategic Plan. 2 In response to a query, General Manager Guthrie noted that any actions or recommendations from the Committee will be brought to the Board for final decision. a. Ad Hoc Policy Committee Terms of Reference Provided for information. 5.2 Memo 23-050 New and Revised Board Policies, Procedures and Forms (2022-2023 Update: 29 June 2022 - 26 June 2023) Staff introduced Memorandum 23-050 and noted that the memo outlines the compendium of tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 updates made to polic ies, procedures, and forms from the 2022-2023 school year. This is an annual memo that is shared each September. During the discussion and in response to queries, the following information was noted:  Tier 1 Minor Policy Review means revisions that correct inconsistencies, modernize language, harmonize definitions, establish consistency in reference to spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, ensure alignment with, and references to language in statutes, regulations, policy memorandums, or other regulatory directives, and/or insert, add, or delete reference documents;  Tier 2 Policy Review means nonsubstantive updates to current policies and new policies required by Board motion, legislation or a Ministry Policy and Program Memoranda (PPM) that do not require wide public consultations;  Tier 3 Policy Review means developing new policies required by Board motion, legislation, or the Ministry PPM, or revisions to existing policies that leads to substantive change in the direction and require extensive public consultations with stakeholders;  Staff noted that in order to review all of the policies in a timely manner over the required five year cycle, staff were delegated the authority to address minor changes. Any substantive changes would be brought forward for review through the Tier 2 or 3 processes as defined in Procedure PR. 501.GOV;  Staff noted that the proposed notice of motion provided by Trustee Scott in January 2023 regarding possible changes to Policy P.003.GOV, Board Member and Student Trustee Professional Development and Constituency Communications, would be reviewed and an update provided at the October 2023 meeting;  The 2 May 2023 agenda item on Policy P.063.SCO, Display of Flags by Schools, is to confirm who makes the decision regarding 3 how and which flags are flown, such as the decision to fly flags at half-mast and to align the policy with current practices;  Policy P.063.SCO was last updated in 1999;  All Tier 1 memorandums will be shared with the committee under a matters for information agenda item;  Director Buffone suggested that the Committee monitor the next several tier 1 memorandums. Any concerns on the nature of the tier 1 revisions can be brought forward for discussion by the committee if required;  Policy P.001.GOV, Policy Development and Management authorizes the Director to make minor revisions to policies;  Tier 1 changes could be as minor as migrating to the new template or adding clickable links to reference documents;  An equity assessment tool has been created and utilized. The Equity and Indigenous leads, at the Director Executive Council (DEC), provide input with an equity lens prior to approval and final release; and  A style guide on policies and procedures requires additional work before it could be implemented. 5.3 Report 23-058, Tier 2 Revisions to Policy P.107.SCO Naming of Schools and Educational Support Facilities and Opening Ceremonies Your Committee had before it Report 23-058, seeking input on the proposed revisions to Policy P.107.SCO Naming of Schools and Educational Support Facilities and Opening Ceremonies. Associate Director Reynolds provided an overview of the report. During the discussion and in response to queries, the following information was noted:  It was suggested that the OCDSB should not name schools after a person;  Staff noted that consultation with the community provided feedback that the option to name schools after a person should be retained;  It was suggested that if a building is named after a person, due diligence of background research and confirmation that the person is deceased is important;  Procedure PR.676.COM, Official Opening Ceremonies - New Schools, would need to be revisited to determine why local MP’s were removed from being included in the ceremonies; 4  The Indigenous cultural practice to not name inanimate objects after a person should be considered in the policy;  Naming a building after a person could provide learning opportunities or could be potentially viewed as political;  Trustee Kaplan-Myrth requested that the District commit to review any OCDSB schools that are named after a person to ensure that there are no unintended negative impacts to the community;  Section 4.4 of policy P.107.SCO should be defined in an appendix to clearly define the roles referenced on the School Naming Committee;  It was suggested that section 4.15 of policy P.107.SCO should be reviewed and rescinded as corporations should not be allowed to make donations and have a plaque within schools;  Staff noted that few corporations donate to schools and recent donations are small donations such as refrigerators for breakfast programs. Staff added that the District would not accept donatio ns from companies that cause or have caused harm and will not accept conditional donations; and  It was requested that opening ceremonies specify an Indigenous opening and closing ceremony, be included in the policy. 5.4 Report 23-059, Amalgamation of Policy P.035.SCO Extended Day Programs and Policy P.059.SCO Child Care Programs In Schools Your Committee had before it Report 23-059, seeking input on the proposed amalgamation of Policy P.035.SCO Extended Day Programs and Policy P.059.SCO Child Care Programs in Schools. Associate Director Reynolds provided an overview of the report and noted that any concerns or changes can be sent to the policy analysts email address. During the discussion and in response to queries, the following information was noted:  The amalgamated draft policy will proceed to public consultation prior to presentation for final approval;  It was suggested that the word “Board” used throughout the policy, be replaced with “District”;  The reference to the associated procedure will be included once ready; 5  Staff will provide an update on whether the District has any recognized programs in place of licensed childcare facilities relating to the Early Learning Childcare Agreement;  Section 3.7 of policy P.036.SCO should be reviewed and the language clarified if the District is not compliant in accordance to Regulation 221/11;  Staff advised that the “where possible” language used in section 3.5 should remain to provide flexibility to ensure childcare while facilities await licensing; and  Staff anticipate that section 3.10 of policy P.036.SCO will be removed in the final draft. 6. New Business -- Information and Inquiries In response to a query from Trustee Blackburn, staff noted that the Committee will have a hybrid meeting option going forward. 7. Adjournment Monique Manatch offered a closing The meeting adjourned at 6:38 p.m. _________________________ Cathryne Milburn, Chair, Ad Hoc Policy Review Committee