HomeMy WebLinkAboutReport 24-086 Revisions to Policies in Response to Revised PPM 128AD-HOC POLICY COMMITTEE 20 June 2024
Report No.24-086
REVISIONS TO POLICIES IN RESPONSE TO THE REVISED PPM 128
THE PROVINCIAL CODE OF CONDUCT AND THE SCHOOL BOARD
CODES OF CONDUCT
Key Contact:Michèle Giroux,Executive Officer of Corporate
Services,Ext#8310
PURPOSE:
1.To seek input on the proposed revisions to the OCDSB policies related to the
Ministry’s PPM 128 The Provincial Code of Conduct and School Board Codes of
Conduct.
STRATEGIC LINKS:
2.The proposed updates are in line with the requirements of the revised PPM128
which reflects the Board’s commitment to good governance as set out in the
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board’s (OCDSB)2023-2027 Strategic Plan.
CONTEXT:
3.To help foster positive school climates that support the achievement and
well-being of students in Ontario,on 28 April 2024,the Ministry Updated PPM
128 Provincial Code of Conduct and School Board Codes of Conduct.The
revisions provide streamlined direction to boards,and reiterate expectations for
members of the school community to help address concerns raised by school
boards over the last year.Specifically,the revisions address the following:
●Restrictions on the use of personal mobile devices,including
smartwatches,tablets,and laptops,to reduce distraction during
instructional time;
●Enforcement of restrictions to the use of personal mobile devices;
●Restrictions to the access to social media platforms on school networks
and school devices;
●Enforcement of consequences for student use/possession/provision of
tobacco,electronic cigarettes (vaping),and nicotine products while at
school;
●Signage in schools to communicate the Code of Conduct behaviour
expectations;and
●Explicit prohibition of sexual harassment,theft,and use of abusive
language.
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This report addresses the implications of the new requirements on our policies and
procedures and seeks input from trustees on the revisions proposed by staff.
KEY CONSIDERATIONS:
4.A Shift in the Ministry’s Direction
In this PPM the Ministry recognizes that policies would be at a high level and the
implementation would be left to the procedures.This has afforded staff the
flexibility to house the new requirements in either policies or procedures
depending on the nature and magnitude of the change.Below is a list of the
policies and procedures that are affected by the revised PPM128.
5.Policy P.125.SCO School District Code of Conduct (Appendix A)
The District Code of Conduct houses most of the new requirements of the
revised PPM128.The proposed revisions in Appendix A address the following:
✔The ban of personal mobile device use during instructional time and
referring the reader to Policy P.100.IT,Appropriate Use of Information
Technology for further direction.
✔The requirement to post signage in school entrances and other visible
places that reflect the behavioural expectations of the District’s Code of
Conduct.
✔The requirement to refrain from recording,taking,or sharing
non-consensual recordings or photos of members of the OCDSB
community.
✔The requirement of all community members to resolve conflicts
peacefully.
✔The ban on the possession,provision,and use of cigarettes,electronic
cigarettes,tobacco,and nicotine products.
6.Policy P.100.IT Appropriate Use of Information Technology (Appendix B)
The proposed revisions to the Appropriate Use policy address the following:
✔Enforcing or implementing the minimum requirements of the ban on the
use of personal mobile devices.
✔Giving the principals the discretion to impose further restrictions to the use
of personal mobile devices only in consultation with and with support from
the school community.
✔The restrictions of access to social media platforms on school networks
and devices of the District.
✔The direction to identify exceptional circumstances when social media can
be used for educational purposes.
✔The direction to all members of the OCDSB community not to record,take,
or share non-consensual recordings or photos of members of the
community.
7.Policy P.026.SCO Student Suspension and Expulsion
The Student Suspension and Expulsion policy currently includes language that is
broad enough to address the consequences of students refusing to surrender
their cell phones when they are not stored out of sight during instructional time.
Specifically,P.026.SCO Section 3.14 (j)states that:
Report #24-086 Revisions to Policies -PPM 128 2
“….it is the policy of the Board that a principal shall consider whether to suspend
a student from one to 20 school days if they believe that the student has
engaged in any of the following activities:j)any act considered to be contrary to
the Board or school code of conduct.”
This policy will therefore not require any revisions in response to the revised
PPM128.
8.Procedure Work
A number of procedures are affected by the revisions to PPM128,including:
●PR.522.SCO Smoking and Vaping on Board Premises will indicate that the
ban on smoking and vaping includes the possession of nicotine,cannabis
(unless the student/staff is a medical user)and electronic cigarettes.
●PR.534.SCO Search and Seizure (Students)will clarify the handling
instructions for surrendered prohibited items (such as tobacco,electronic
cigarettes,nicotine products,alcohol,illegal drugs,as well as personal cell
phones).
●PR.622.IT Appropriate Use of Information Technology (Students)will
include the Restrictions on personal mobile devices and consequences of
non-compliance;
●PR.507.CON Community Use of School Facilities will include the
requirements for permit holders to abide by the District Code of Conduct.
●New PR.702.IT Appropriate Use of Information Technology (Staff)will
include the requirement of staff to not use personal mobile devices during
instructional time unless for work-related purposes,and not record,take,
or share non-consensual recordings or photos of other members of the
OCDSB community;
●New PR.708.IT Social Media will include the restriction of access to social
media platforms on school networks.
While staff has already started proposing revisions,they are mindful of the
ongoing work of the Technical Implementation Task Force established by the
Ministry along with education partners,parents,students and medical experts to
support the implementation of the new requirements.Any recommendations or
strategies resulting from this provincial work will inform our procedure revisions.
RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS:
9.The changes to PPM128 will require additional resources to facilitate the
enforcement of the new requirements.With regards to the ban on vaping,the
Ministry has indicated that funding will be provided to schools to install vape
detectors so they can better enforce the new rules.Wrap-around support for
students will be increased to support learning,addictive behaviours and
implementation.
The Ministry also indicated that it would provide training for teachers and support
for parents on how best to manage this change.Further resources might be
required to acquaint administrators with the new requirements and allow for the
implementation of IT strategies in schools to control access to social media
networks,all of which will be covered by the departmental budgets.
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Business and Learning Technologies (B<)is currently reviewing options for
restricting Social Media on the school networks and student devices as directed
by the PPM.Currently,firewall policies are set for secondary schools,elementary
schools,and administration buildings.The category of social media is partially
blocked in all three settings.Currently,Facebook,Instagram,and X are open in
all three settings.TikTok and Snapchat are blocked in the elementary division
only.There are currently no policies to block sites on the device,only on the
firewall which means students who take devices home will be subject to whatever
policies are on their home network.
To comply with the PPM,B< will block Facebook,Instagram,X and Snapchat
on both the elementary and secondary school networks.This will make these
sites unavailable to anyone attempting to access the sites via the school wifi or
wired network.Since many schools use some of these sites to communicate with
their communities staff are in the process of looking at the option of segregating
the network for staff so we can make sites such as Facebook,Instagram and X
available for that purpose.A proof of concept is planned for the fall and should it
prove successful staff will roll it out system-wide in January.
The OCDSB will block all social media sites on OCDSB student Chromebooks
through the Chrome management console.By doing this,students will not be
able to access social media sites when they take Chromebooks home to
complete assignments.We are also restricting access to extensions which will
prevent the loading of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)which bypass our
firewalls.
COMMUNICATION/CONSULTATION ISSUES:
10.The District has posted an overview of the revised PPM128 and the new
requirements on its consultation platform in order to solicit feedback from the
public.A list of the policies and procedures that are expected to be revised has
been added to the consultation webpage for more informed input from the public.
Feedback was accepted until 14 June 2024.As the proposed revisions are
regulatory requirements and due to the timeline imposed by the Ministry for the
enforcement of the new changes being September 01,2024,no further
consultation would be possible at this time.
Over 120 contributions were received through Engage OCDSB,most of which
were supportive of the new direction.A significant number of the contributions
addressed the issues that would emerge with the implementation of the new
requirements,such as:
●The importance of raising awareness among students about the harms of
excessive use of cell phones;
●The liability of staff for students’personal devices’loss or damage;
●Issues emerging with the unsupervised use of cell phones during lunch
and recess.Some suggested the extension of the ban to the whole
instructional day for grades 7 and 8 to be able to socialize with their peers;
●The additional responsibilities of policing personal mobile devices’use are
placed on educators;
●Recommendations to exclude smartwatches from the use ban;
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●Strategies for handling new parent calls through the office;
●Supports for staff and students who are addicted to their devices;and
●The implication of the ban on field trips held during the instructional day.
On 05 June 2024,feedback was received through discussions with principals
and vice principals at the Systems Leaders’Meeting.The following themes
emerged in the discussion:
●The success of cell phone bans in schools that had adopted such
initiatives earlier has proven to rely on support and buy-in from the whole
school community.This was achieved through communication that
focused on well-being and the positive effects of the ban on the student's
education;
●The possibility of using mobile device hotels in schools and whether the
District would supply these hotels to schools;
●The importance of consistency in the implementation of the new
requirements,especially early on in the new school year and amongst
staff of every school;
●Questions were raised around the use of smartwatches where
applications are blocked during school hours and tracking devices and
whether they would be exempt from the “out of sight”requirement;
●Principals want to have the authority to determine discipline and have
concerns about the efficiency of progressive discipline;
●There are questions around whether the bans are applicable for OSTA
and how this will be enforced on buses and transportation;
●There is a push for educators to model appropriate use to students and a
request for the District to supply more walkie-talkies;and
●The challenges faced by schools with K-8 students due to the requirement
to adhere to two different standards.
On the other hand,the District awaits further clarification from the Ministry with
regard to the implementation of the new requirements of the PPM,especially on
the ban of social media from school networks and the signage requirements in
order to communicate the Code of Conduct behaviour expectations with the
OCDSB community members.
RECOMMENDATION:
A.THAT the proposed revisions to Policy P.125.SCO School District Code of
Conduct,attached as Appendix A to Report 24-086,be approved;and
B.THAT the proposed revisions to Policy P.100.IT Appropriate Use of
Information Technology,attached as Appendix B to Report 24-086,be
approved.
Michèle Giroux
Executive Officer of Corporate Services
Report #24-086 Revisions to Policies -PPM 128 5
Pino Buffone
Director of Education and
Secretary of the Board
APPENDICES
Appendix A -Revised Policy P.125.SCO School District Code of Conduct
Appendix B -Revised Policy P.100.IT Appropriate Use of Information Technology
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