HomeMy WebLinkAboutPost-Meeting Minutes - Policy Review Committee_Nov14_2024 - English
POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE
November 14, 2024, 6:30 pm
Trustees' Committee Room
133 Greenbank Road
Ottawa, Ontario
Members:
Donna Blackburn, Donna Dickson (electronic communication), Lyra Evans, Julia Fortey, Cathryne Milburn (electronic communication), Amanda Presley (electronic communication), Lynn Scott
Non Voting Members:
Anthony Wong (OCASC), Deepika Grover (Advisory Committee on Equity), Monique Manatch (Indigenous Education Council), Calla Barnett (Parent Involvement Committee)
Staff and Guests
Pino Buffone (Director of Education), Jesse Mark (Executive Officer, Corporate Services), Mary Jane Farrish (Superintendent of Education), A.J Keene (Superintendent of Education), Susan
Baker (General Manager, Board Services), Darren Gatley (Senior Board Coordinator), Engy Abdel Masieh (Policy Analyst), Desirrea Meney (Policy Analyst)
1.Call to Order (Director Designate)
Executive Officer Mark called the meeting to order at 6:36 p.m.
2.Acknowledgement of Territorial Lands
Executive Officer Mark acknowledged that the meeting is taking place on unceded Algonquin Homelands and thanked the Algonquin Nations for hosting the meeting on their land.
3.Election of Committee Chair
Executive Officer Mark outlined the nomination and voting processes and called for nominations for Chair of the Policy Review Committee.
Trustee Milburn nominated Trustee Presley.
Moved by Trustee Scott,
THAT nominations be closed.
Carried
By acclamation, Executive Officer Mark declared Trustee Presley Chair of the Policy Review Committee.
As Trustee Presley was participating in the meeting electronically, Trustee Lyra Evans nominated herself as temporary Chair of the committee for this meeting only.
Trustee Lyra Evans assumed the chair.
4.Declarations of Interest
No declarations of interest were filed.
5.Approval of the Agenda
Moved by Trustee Fortey,
THAT the agenda be approved.
Carried
6.Matters for Action:
6.1Report 24-116, Rescission of Policy P.084.SCO School Safety Patrols (AJ Keene)
Your Committee had before it Report 24-116, seeking approval for the rescission of Policy P.084.SCO Student Safety Patrols.
Superintendent Keene introduced the report and advised that the policy governs a program that is no longer in existence and therefore there is no risk associated with the rescission.
Moved by Trustee Blackburn,
THAT Policy P.084.SCO Student Safety Patrols, be rescinded.
Carried
6.2Report 24-115, Revisions to Policy P.008.GOV, Advisory Committee on Equity (M.J. Farrish)
Your Committee had before it Report 24-115, seeking approval of the proposed revisions to Policy P.008.GOV Advisory Committee on Equity (ACE) (the Policy) following consultations with
the public, trustees, and the ACE Committee.
Moved by Trustee Milburn,
THAT the proposed revisions to Policy P.008.GOV Advisory Committee on Equity, attached to Report 24-115 as Appendix B, be approved.
An amendment moved by Trustee Blackburn,
THAT section 4.6 be replaced with the following:
4.6 The Committee shall aim towards member composition that represents the fulsome diversity and inclusiveness of the school community, prioritizing those that represent the most underserved
students and communities in relation to academic achievement, disciplinary action, and well-being. This is already being documented in District research, District identity-based data
and relevant external research, including:
a) African, Caribbean, and Black;
b) Arab/Middle Eastern;
c) Indigenous;
d) newcomers and multilingual learners;
e) people with disabilities;
f) people from low socioeconomic status;
g) 2SLGBTIA+; and
h) other people subject to discrimination on a protected ground, as defined by 147.GOV Human Rights.
During discussion, the following points were noted:
The list is not inclusive and some groups may be excluded from representation;
The District's research identity-based data has identified these listed groups as being underserved in terms of student academic achievement and disciplinary actions;
The identity-based data is not a full reflection of the current school community;
The groups identified in the list were brought forward by the Advisory Committee on Equity (ACE) policy sub-committee;
There should be wording in the policy to review the list from time to time;
The list of protected grounds for discrimination in the Board's Policy P.147.GOV on Human Rights is derived from legislation and the Board's addition of socioeconomic status. It is broad
enough to captur intersecting identities;
It would be difficult to predict which groups of students would be underserved in the future;
The District does not have sufficient data on student mental health and well-being although these are real issues affecting students;
The District has a responsibility to pay attention to all grounds of discrimination in the human rights policy;
Consider including this list in the list of protected grounds identified in the Human Rights policy;
The list does not address intersectionality of identity; and
The current list of ACE members does not conform to the membership composition in the current ACE policy.
An amendment moved by Trustee Blackburn,
THAT section 4.6 be replaced with the following:
4.6 The Committee shall aim towards member composition that represents the fulsome diversity and inclusiveness of the school community, prioritizing those that represent the most underserved
students and communities in relation to academic achievement, disciplinary action, and well-being. This is already being documented in District research, District identity-based data
and relevant external research, including:
a) African, Caribbean, and Black;
b) Arab/Middle Eastern;
c) Indigenous;
d) newcomers and multilingual learners;
e) people with disabilities;
f) people from low socioeconomic status;
g) 2SLGBTIA+; and
h) other people subject to discrimination on a protected ground, as defined by 147.GOV Human Rights.
Carried
Trustee Scott assumed the chair.
An amendment moved by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT the following section be added to section 3.4.b) as a new iv):
"supporting the efforts to implement the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People;”
Carried, friendly
An amendment moved by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT "two (2) consecutive terms" be replaced with "four (4) consecutive terms" in section 4.10 b).
During discussion, the following points were noted:
While an eight-year term would provide "corporate memory", it could limit fresh ideas and perspectives from new members;
The Committee should retain the ability to replace members from time to time, if desired;
The Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) does not limit the number of terms its members can serve; and
Current members of ACE should re-apply for membership if they want to serve an additional term.
A sub-amendment moved by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT "subject to the Committee's appointment process" be added to follow "four (4) consecutive terms".
Carried, friendly
An amendment moved by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT "two (2) consecutive terms" be replaced with "four (4) consecutive terms, subject to the Committee's appointment process" in section 4.10 b)
Carried
An amendment moved by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT the last two sentences in section 4.10 c) commencing with "However, an individual..." be struck.
Carried, friendly
An amendment moved by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT "shall meet six (6)" be replaced with "shall meet six to nine (6 to 9)" in section 4.24.
During discussion, the following points were noted:
Additional meetings would provide flexibility for ACE to meet as many times as they require;
Staff does not have the resources to support additional meetings;
The Indigenous Education Council (IEC) and PIC have also expressed a need to increase the number of meetings per year; and
ACE has expressed a need to provide as much time as they need at each meeting for discussions which may require a reduction in the number of agenda items per meeting if additional meetings
are not provided.
An amendment moved by Trustee Lyra Evans,
That "shall meet six (6)" be replaced with "shall meet six to nine (6 to 9)" in section 4.24.
Carried
An amendment moved by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT section 4.28 be struck.
During discussion, the following points were noted:
Section 4.28 was included to help reduce staff involvement in the Committee's work.
An amendment moved by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT section 4.28 be struck.
Carried
An amendment moved by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT section 4.31 be amended to change the quorum from a majority of 50% plus one of voting members to 33% of voting members; and
THAT 4.32 be amended to reflect, "A meeting of the committee that achieves between 33% and 50% may proceed provided any recommendation is submitted with a note regarding the number of
voting members in attendance."
During discussion, the following points were noted:
Section 4.24, as amended, requires staff to support additional meetings, while this amendment does not require a majority of committee members to attend meetings;
The Board's By-laws and Standing Rules, and Kerr and King require a majority of 50% plus one for Board and committee meetings; and
If a meeting does not achieve quorum, it is still counted in the number of permitted meetings per year.
An amendment moved by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT section 4.31 be amended to change the quorum from a majority of 50% plus one of voting members to 33% of voting members; and
THAT 4.32 be amended to reflect, "A meeting of the committee that achieves between 33% and 50% may proceed provided any recommendation is submitted with a note regarding the number of
voting members in attendance."
Withdrawn, with the consent of the Committee.
An amendment moved by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT "minutes and reports" replace "minutes, reports, and/or recordings" in section 4.37.
During discussion, the following points were noted:
There is no legal requirement to livestream meetings and post the recordings on the District's website; and
Staff records Zoom meetings to assist in preparing the minutes but does not make the Zoom recordings available to the public.
An amendment moved by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT "minutes and reports" replace "minutes, reports, and/or recordings" in section 4.37.
Carried, friendly
In response to a query regarding non-voting members being not eligible for the Co-Chair position in section 4.20, the following points were noted:
If there are no voting members willing to be a co-chair, it may be preferable to having a trustee assume the chair of ACE rather than a staff person;
Having a staff person chair a Board committee could place the staff member in a conflict of interest;
Having a trustee chair a Board committee and presenting a recommendation to the Board could present an unfair disadvantage; and
Most school boards have advisory committees chaired by trustees.
An amendment moved by Trustee Scott,
THAT a new section 4.14 be added to say, "The Committee approved membership shall be confirmed by the Board."
During discussion, the following points were noted:
If the Board did not confirm the membership, it would be referred back to the Committee;
The only reason the Board would not confirm the membership would be if the expectations for membership as set out in the policy were not met; and
Concern was expressed that this requirement could limit those who might apply for membership if they were concerned about being critical of the Board from an equity perspective.
An amendment moved by Trustee Scott,
THAT a new section 4.14 be added to say, "The Committee approved membership shall be confirmed by the Board."
Defeated
Moved by Trustee Milburn,
THAT the proposed revisions to Policy P.008.GOV Advisory Committee on Equity, attached to Report 24-115 as Appendix B, be approved, as amended.
Carried
7.Matters for Discussion:
7.1Report 24-112, Tier 2 Revisions to Policy P.009.HR Respectful Workplace (Harassment Prevention) (R. Sinclair)
Your Committee had before it report 24-112 seeking input on the proposed revisions to Policy P.009.HR Respectful Workplace and Harassment Prevention.
Executive Officer Mark introduced the report and noted that the standing policy is outdated and does not address the current operating realities of fostering a respectful workplace across
the District. The revised policy better reflects the District’s commitment to acknowledging the respect and dignity of all employees. He also noted that a number of definitions were
revised to remove redundant language or to provide clarification.
During discussion, the following points were noted:
Trustees, committee members, and students who are not working under a work experience program authorized by the Board are not considered to be workers under this policy;
Restorative justice approaches, students who harass teachers, and sexual and gender-based harassment are addressed in other policies and procedures;
It was suggested that microaggressions should be expanded and treated more widely;
A definition of a series of microaggressions could be included;
Committee members who may feel they are being harassed by staff could be included under this policy;
The use of derogatory humour as a form of harassment could be included;
There seems to be some overlap in the definitions of microaggressions and disruptive behaviour;
The appropriate use of "Board" and "District" should be reviewed; and
There is no mention of timelines when referencing a series of microaggressions.
8.Matters for Information
8.1Memo 24-046, Minor Policy Revisions (Tier 1)
Memo 24-046, Minor Policy Revisions (Tier 1) was provided for information.
Trustee Lyra Evans expressed concern that the revisions to Policy P.129.CUR Environmental Education were substantive and should not be considered as Tier 1 revisions. Executive Officer
Mark suggested that she bring forward a notice of motion calling for a further review of the policy.
9.New Business -- Information and Inquiries
There was no new business
10.Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 10:02 p.m.
_________________________
Amanda Presley, Chair, Policy Review Committee