HomeMy WebLinkAboutPost-Meeting Minutes - Policy Review Committee_Dec12_2024 - English
POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE
December 12, 2024, 6:30 pm
Trustees' Committee Room
133 Greenbank Road
Ottawa, Ontario
Members:
Lyra Evans, Julia Fortey, Cathryne Milburn, Amanda Presley, Lynn Scott
Staff and Guests
Pino Buffone (Director of Education), AJ Keene (Superintendent of Education), Jesse Mark (Executive Officer, Corporate Services), Darren Gatley (General Manager, Board Services), Tamara
Persaud (Board/Committee Coordinator)
1.Call to Order
Chair Presley called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m.
2.Acknowledgement of Territorial Lands
Chair Presley acknowledged that the meeting is taking place on unceded Algonquin Homelands and thanked the Algonquin Nations for hosting the meeting on their land.
3.Declarations of Interest
No declarations of interest were filed.
4.Approval of the Agenda
Moved by Trustee Fortey,
THAT the agenda be approved.
Carried
5.Matters for Action:
5.1Report 24-120, Rescission of Policy P.042.SCO Guidelines for Dealing with Reports of Strangers Approaching Students (AJ Keene)
Your Committee has before it Report 24-120, seeking approval for the rescission of Policy P.042.SCO, Guidelines for Dealing with Reports of Strangers Approaching Students.
Superintendent Keene advised that the policy is no longer relevant as it can be combined with other policies to achieve the same outcome. He noted that there were no resource implications
related to the rescission of this policy.
Moved by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT Policy 0.42.SCO, Guidelines for Dealing with Reports of Strangers Approaching Students attached to Report 24-120, be rescinded.
Carried
5.2Report 24-130, Rescission of Policy P.066.HR, Performance Appraisal and Supervision for Professional Growth of Admin and Support Staff and P.089.HR, Performance Appraisal & Supervision
for Professional Growth of Teachers (S. Lehman)
Your committee had before it Report 24-130, seeking approval of rescission of Policy 0.66.HR, Performance Appraisal and Supervision for Professional Growth of Admin and Support Staff
and P.089.HR, Performance Appraisal & Supervision for Professional Growth of Teachers.
Superintendent Keene advised that after completing an environmental scan of other Ontario school boards, the OCDSB was found to be the only school board that has a policy related to
the appraisal and supervision of teachers, administrative and support staff, principals and vice-principals.
Moved by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT Policy P.066.HR Performance Appraisal and Supervision for Professional Growth of Admin and Support Staff and Policy P.089.HR, Performance Appraisal & Supervision for Professional
Growth of Teachers, be rescinded.
Carried
6.Matters for Discussion:
6.1Report 24-129, Tier 2 Revisions to Policy P.128.GOV, Privacy Policy-Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) (R. Sinclair)
Your Committee had before it Report 24-129, seeking input on the proposed revisions to Policy P.128.GOV, Privacy Policy-Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
(MFIPPA).
Executive Officer Mark noted that an internal consultation was held in the initial stages of the Tier 2 review to gather input from staff. The draft policy attached to the report includes
feedback from Learning Support Services (LSS), as well as other updates to make it more comprehensible and gender neutral.
During discussion and in response to queries the following points were noted:
The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection or Privacy Act (MFIPPA) applies to the vast majority of records and privacy matters in the OCDSB. The Personal Health Information
Privacy Act (PHIPA) governs information and records regarding health. As the OCDSB employs social workers, health practitioners, and psychologists, there is a need to determine how records
regarding student health should be stored long term. The proposed revisions highlight these differences and the practises that the District will use to maintain these health records;
It was noted that MFIPPA highlights that for young persons under the age of 16, the decision to disclose non-health records can be made by parents or legal guardians. PHIPA does not
have an age limit, as the decision to consent to the disclosure of records lies with the patient based on the patient's capacity to understand and consent. Revisions made to the policy
will incorporate the clarification that the District is the custodian of records and that students under the age of 16 years old have the right to have control of their own health records
that are held by the District;
Staff will seek public consultation on the proposed revisions to the policy to gather feedback;
With respect to cyber security, it was noted that the revisions to the policy will not affect the current electronic tools utilized by health care workers in the OCDSB, and that these
records are under the control of the District;
It was requested that an environmental scan of practices at other Ontario school boards be provided when the final draft is presented to the Board for approval;
Concern was raised regarding the implications of PHIPA and the capacity of students under 16 with special needs to consent to the release records. It was suggested that clear guidelines
be developed to determine student capacity and provide direction on managing conflicts, communication strategies and operational aspects;
It was proposed that the title of the policy be changed to address the specific nature of the policy. It was also suggested that reference be made to legislation rather than incorporating
new language into the policy; and
Cyber security was brought forward for consideration in the policy revisions as well to include third-party compliance, regular audits and a breach mitigation clauses for contracts.
7.New Business -- Information and Inquiries
Executive Officer Mark advised that he would provide further information on Tier 1 definitions at the next Policy Review Committee meeting on 13 February 2025.
8.Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 7:14 p.m.
_________________________
Amanda Presley, Chair, Policy Review Committee