HomeMy WebLinkAbout4.0 Final Post-Meeting Minutes - Board Meeting (Continuation) 23 June 2020 REV BOARD PUBLIC MINUTES
(Continuation Meeting)
Tuesday, June 23, 2020, 5:00 pm
Zoom Meeting
Trustees: Justine Bell, Donna Blackburn, Christine Boothby, Rob
Campbell, Chris Ellis, Lyra Evans, Mark Fisher, Wendy Hough,
Jennifer Jennekens, Keith Penny, Sandra Schwartz, Lynn Scott
Staff: Camille Williams-Taylor (Director of Education), Brett Reynolds
(Associate Director), Mike Carson (Chief Financial Officer),
Michele Giroux (Executive Officer, Corporate Services), Carolyn
Tanner (Human Rights and Equity Advisor), Dorothy Baker
(Superintendent of Instruction), Prince Duah (Superintendent of
Instruction), Mary Jane Farrish (Superintendent of Instruction),
Eric Hardie (Superintendent of Instruction), Shawn Lehman
(Superintendent of Instruction), Shannon Smith (Superintendent
of Instruction), Peter Symmonds (Superintendent of Learning
Support Services), Pamela LeMaistre (Manager of Human
Resources), Karyn Carty Ostafichuk, (Manager of Planning),
Joan Oracheski (Manager of Research, Evaluation & Analytics
Division), Sandy Owens (Manager, Business & Learning
Technologies), Diane Pernari-Hergert (Manager of
Communications & Information Services), Darcy Knoll
(Communications Coordinator/Media), Nicole Guthrie (Manager,
Board Services), Rebecca Grandis (Senior Board Coordinator),
Amanda Pelkola (Board/Committee Coordinator)
1.Call to Order -- Chair of the Board
Chair Scott called the public meeting to order at 5:01 p.m. She acknowledged
that the meeting is taking place on unceded Algonquin Territory and thanked the
Algonquin Nations for hosting the meeting on their land.
2.Matters for Action
2.1 Report 20-042, New Stittsville Secondary School (M. Carson)
Manager Ostafichuk presented Report 20-042, on the attendance
boundary, program and opening grade structure for the new Stittsville
secondary school. The school will house 1,353 pupils from grade 7-12 and
will be located at the corner of Robert Grant Avenue and Cope Drive.
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In October 2019 the Board approved a consultation plan to set the
attendance boundary and opening grade structure of the new school. A
working group consisting of various school and community associations
representatives, Trustees Scott and Boothby, Superintendent Lehman and
the planners on the file, Lisa Gowans and Janet MacDonald met three
times to discuss and examine various options. Once the proposal was
ready to proceed to consultation , quarantine measures were enforced
and it was not until 28 April 2020 that the Board was able to approve the
revised consultation plan.
Secondary students scheduled to attend the new school, currently attend
either AY Jackson Secondary School (SS) or South Carleton High School
(HS). The grade 7-8 students attend Glen Cairn Public School (PS),
Goulbourn Middle School (MS) or A. Lorne Cassidy Elementary
School(ES).
The largest growing community in Eastern Ontario is where this new
school is being developed. The challenge was to build boundaries that did
not span too broadly, as that would result in issues with overcapacity too
quickly. Another issue was ensuring that the currently existing schools are
sustainable.
The District has been transparent that in this particular case, it will not be
able to create a family of schools. This is due to the lack of Early French
Immersion (EFI) program offerings in the Richmond, Goulbourn and
Rideau Township areas and for this reason, the District will need to
continue transporting these students to Stittsville.
New schools are scheduled to be built for the southern area and once built
can be aligned with a family of schools. The intention is to have this issue
resolved within the next 3-4 years once a new school is built in Richmond.
At the working group's meeting in March, a consensus was reached on
attendance boundaries and a proposed plan was prepared to seek public
consultation. During the presentation, the following points were noted:
●The first area for consultation was the opening grade structure and the
information that was assessed was as follows:
o If the school were to open in 2022, and introduce grades 7-10, this
would accommodate 945 students with a utilization of 70 percent;
o If a small rural area is removed from the west, this would
accommodate 910 students with a utilization factor of 67 percent.
Portables would be required by year two;
o With a September 2022 opening with grades 7-9, it would
accommodate 723 students with a utilization factor of 53 percent. If
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this same grade structure was included without the small rural area,
it would accommodate 694 students with a utilization factor of 51
percent. Portables would still be required but not until at least year
three; and
o The District found the grade 7-9 structure was far less disruptive
especially to students in a high school setting, as it would not
require them to move in the middle of high school. This was
favoured.
●The recommendation for the school programming for grades 7-8 is to
have English EFI and Middle French Immersion (MFI) offerings and for
the grades 9-12 to have English and French Immersion (FI) for all
students;
●The assessment on boundaries considered the following options:
o The new boundary looked at the grade JK-6 ENG attendance
boundaries at A. Lorne Cassidy ES, Stittsville PS, Westwind Public
School, new Fernbank Public School, a portion of the Castlefrank
ES and Katimavik ES area (currently undeveloped land). These all
seemed logical to move to the new Stittsville High School;
o Staff felt that including a small rural area to the west of Stittsville in
the high school numbers did not have a significant impact. It
resulted in a population of 723 students, with a utilization factor of
53 percent;
o In 2025 the anticipated population with all grades present, would
have 1,656 students with a utilization factor of 122 percent.
Portables are anticipated in year three;
o South Carleton HS is anticipated to be the most impacted but will
still remain sustainable as the population would go from 1100
students to 850 in 2026, with a utilization factor of 63 percent.
There is significant development occurring in Richmond and
therefore the population should stay strong;
o Redirection of the grade 7-8 program to the new school would
require A. Lorne Cassidy (a JK-8 school). The working group
recommends a boundary adjustment between A. Lorne Cassidy ES
and Stittsville PS and has also included a sibling clause;
o The first cohort of grade 8 students from Glen Cairin PS and
Goulbourn MS, that would be directed to the new Stittsville High
School, would require them to attend three schools in three years;
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o There would be two feeding patterns for EFI students leaving for
grade 7 from A. Lorne Cassidy ES and Westwind PS;
o Students living north of Fallowfield Road will be attending the new
Stittsville high school. Those south of Fallowfield Road or east of
Eagleson Road would attend South Carleton HS;
o The Goulbourn area south of Fallowfield Road does not have its
own EFI program school yet, therefore students in that program
would continue to attend elementary schools in Stittsville;
o The boundaries within Goulbourn have been assessed, with the cut
off being Fallowfield Road;
o Fallowfield Village area students would continue to attend South
Carleton HS.
The amended consultation was done using the website to provide
information and obtain feedback on the proposed attendance boundaries,
as well as a ThoughtExchange exercise that was conducted. The
ThoughtExchange received 190 participants and over 2500 stars
supporting the suggestions. The feedback was generally supportive of the
proposed attendance boundaries.
CONTINUATION
During question period, the following points were noted:
Chair Scott thanked staff for the report and for the continuation of the
public consultation. Chair Scott requested clarification regarding the
students of A. Lorne Cassidy ES that would attend Goulbourn MS for
grades 7-8 and then attend South Carleton HS, as constituents were
interested in knowing if exceptions could be made once the number of
enrolled students were determined.
In response, Manager Ostafichuk stated that the District is trying to create
families of schools with logical boundaries from JK to secondary school.
The District used south of Fallowfield Road as the boundary division and
since there are no EFI offerings south of Fallowfield Road, students in this
area will continue to be directed towards Westwind PS and A. Lorne
Cassidy ES in Stittsville. When all these elementary schools’ numbers are
combined, they total 150 students and the District wants South Carleton
HS to maintain their numbers and for the new school to not be
overpopulated. For A. Lorne Cassidy ES, on average only 7 students per
grade will be directed to Goulbourn MS and South Carleton HS while the
remainder will move to the new Stittsville SS. It is the District's intention to
offer EFI south of Fallowfield Road in the future. Applications for student
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transfers would develop an issue, as no transportation is in place for these
students.
Chair Scott highlighted that it is an issue that the new school will be
overpopulated once opened. She stated that the capital funding process is
flawed as it does not allow districts to serve rapidly growing communities
in advance. Chair Scott's constituents felt it was important for all Stittsville
students to be redirected to this new school.
Moved by Trustee Scott, seconded by Trustee Boothby,
THAT an opening grade structure, program offering, and attendance
boundary for the new Stittsville secondary school, and revised
attendance boundaries for A. Lorne Cassidy Elementary School,
Glen Cairn Public School, Goulbourn Middle School, Katimavik
Elementary School, A.Y. Jackson Secondary School, Earl of March
Secondary School, and South Carleton High School, be approved
according to Appendix C to Report 20-042 and implemented upon its
opening (Attached as Appendix A);
THAT revised kindergarten to grade 6 English with Core French
Program and Early French Immersion Program attendance
boundaries for Castlefrank Elementary School (K-3), Katimavik
Elementary School (4-6), and Stittsville Public School (K-6), be
approved according to Appendix E to Report No. 20-042, and
implemented for September 2020 (Attached as Appendix B);
THAT revised Kindergarten to Grade 6 English with Core French
Program and Early French Immersion Program attendance
boundaries for A. Lorne Cassidy Elementary School and Stittsville
Public School be approved according to Appendix F of Report No.
20-042, and implemented upon the opening of the new Stittsville
secondary school (Attached as Appendix C );
THAT students impacted by Recommendation C of Report No. 20-042
and their siblings born in the year new Stittsville secondary school
opens or earlier be given a one-time option to remain at /attend
Stittsville Public School until the completion of grade 6 and be
provided transportation if they are eligible under Student
Transportation Policy P.127 TRA and Procedure PR.556 TRA; and
THAT any student on a cross boundary transfer at a school whose
program cohort is being relocated to another school as a result of
approved recommendations in Report 20-042 be allowed to move
with their program cohort without having to reapply for a transfer.
Carried 5
A recorded vote was held and the motion was carried unanimously by
those present:
FOR: Scott, Boothby, Blackburn, Hough, Campbell, Ellis, Jennekens, Lyra
Evans, Bell, Fisher, Schwartz, Penny (12)
AGAINST: Nil (0)
ABSTENTION: Nil (0)
2.2 Report 20-055, Purchase of Replacement Chromebooks (S. Lehman)
Director Williams-Taylor highlighted that the District purchased additional
equipment this year to allow students to participate in virtual learning.
Report 20-055, Purchase of Replacement Chromebooks has been
prepared by the Business & Learning Technologies (B<) and Finance
departments and will present the analysis conducted on future needs.
Superintendent Lehman highlighted that the report recommends
purchasing 5000 Chromebooks to supplement the current fleet of 23,000.
The District has distributed 11,000 of these Chromebooks to families, who
will be retaining them for the remainder of the summer. The three models
for returning to school outlined by the Ministry of Education, suggest the
likelihood that students will continue to require these Chromebooks.
As noted in the report, some schools have no remaining Chromebooks
and had to borrow from other schools to supply to their students. The
purchase of additional Chromebooks will allow schools to replenish their
inventory and allow for one device per four students as outlined in the
five-year technology plan.
The recommendation is being presented to the Board, as the monetary
amount exceeds what can be approved internally, however these funds
are available in the B< budget.
During question period, the following points were noted:
●Superintendent Lehman stated that the District was able to provide the
required number of Chromebooks to families. Given the fact that
parents were working from home, some families with devices in the
home still required a Chromebook for student use;
●Superintendent Lehman noted that the District is aware of 100
Chromebooks that were either damaged by students or required
repair. However, the District has not contacted families to verify if there
are any issues with the loaned devices. Hotspots and Chromebooks
will remain with students until the end of the summer and at that point
staff will review their condition;
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●In response to a question about school councils purchasing
Chromebooks, Superintendent Lehman noted that the District
discourages this and are putting measures in place to ensure there is a
4:1 student to mobile device ratio. We also provided a projector in
each classroom used for student learning. If school council would like
to use funding to purchase supplementary technology, they should
discuss this with the school principal; and
●The funds available within the B< budget were derived from funds
allocated to a project to replace school WIFI access points, a project
that has been delayed.. This particular project will continue to be
funded. In developing the 2020-2021 budget, funds will be reserved to
support WIFI and the ongoing cyclical purchase of Chromebooks. In
developing a forecast, staff assumed this purchase would be taking
place in the 2020-2021 period;
●The five-year technology acquisition plan outlines the purchase of
mobile devices and Chromebooks. The plan allows for new items to be
purchased each year as required, which prevents the need for all the
devices to be replaced simultaneously and avoids a large expense
during a particular year;
●In response to a query regarding the purchase of devices and supply
chain issues, Superintendent Lehman highlighted that the District has
a standing set of suppliers through the Ontario Education Collaborative
Marketplace (OECM). Manager Owens has been working with the
province to provide the quantities required by the District and there is
confidence they will be secured by the end of July 2020; and
●Superintendent Lehman highlighted that students currently have
devices in their possession and assuming online learning becomes
full-time, the District feels the supply will be sufficient. Even if there is
an increase in demand, the 28,000 Chromebooks should meet the
need. It is projected that 5,000 devices in circulation will become
outdated in September 2020. However, staff feel they can be fixed
and/or re-serviced. Chief Financial Officer Carson added that it is the
District's intention is to acquire additional Chromebooks for 2020-2021,
subsequent to approval of the budget.
Motion moved by Trustee Lyra Evans, seconded by Trustee Penny,
THAT the Board authorize the expenditure of $2,260,000 for 5000
student Chromebooks.
Carried
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A recorded vote was held and the motion was carried unanimously by
those present:
FOR: Boothby, Blackburn, Hough, Campbell, Ellis, Jennekens, Penny,
Lyra Evans, Bell, Fisher, Schwartz, Scott (12)
AGAINST: Nil (0)
ABSTENTION: Nil (0)
2.3 Report 20-057, Provisions for Calling Extraordinary Board Meetings (M.
Giroux)
Executive Officer Giroux presented Report 20-057, Provisions for Calling
Extraordinary Board Meetings, highlighting that Board bylaws outline that
the Board does not conduct meetings during the summer; however, there
are laws for extraordinary provisions. In this particular case, the District
requests that the provision in section 8.6 of the bylaw, be enforced until 31
December 2020. Executive Officer Giroux reminded trustees that there is
currently a provision in place that expires at the end of June 2020.
Chair Scott reminded trustees that a Board meeting or Special Board
meeting, under this provision, could be scheduled with 48 hours’ notice.
Moved by Trustee Boothby, seconded by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT the Board invoke the provisions of Section 8.6 of the Board’s
By-laws and Standing Rules regarding the calling of extraordinary
meetings of the Board, for the purpose of dealing with issues related
to planning as a result of COVID-19, for the period from 22 June 2020
to 31 December 2020.
Carried
A recorded vote was held and the motion was carried unanimously by
those present:
FOR: Boothby, Blackburn, Hough, Campbell, Ellis, Jennekens, Penny,
Lyra Evans, Bell, Fisher, Schwartz, Scott (12)
AGAINST: Nil (0)
ABSTENTION: Nil (0)
2.4 Report 20-048, Minor Revisions to Policy P.137.SCO Concussion
Management (N. Towaij)
Associate Director Reynolds presented Report 20-048, Minor Revisions to
Policy P.137. SCO Concussion Management on behalf of Superintendent
Towaij. The report was brought forward to approve the updated policy, to
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align with that of Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM changes that were
updated last year. The package includes the policy revision document, the
updated PPM, as well as the letter of transmittal.
As of 28 January 2020, revisions to the policy were approved to bring it
into compliance with PPM 158 which emerged from Rowan's Law. The
District received feedback from in-house counsel suggesting the
Concussion Code of Conduct requirements should be included in the
policy instead of embedding it into the procedure. As advised, the report
includes the proposed change.
In the model, staff or volunteers leading activities will pledge annually
(using an electronic form, to adhere to the principles in Rowan's Law and
PPM and that they will disclose incidents and previous health and safety
concerns, to ensure that all student athletes can participate in activities
safety.
During the question period, Trustee Ellis inquired if the text crossed out in
the clause implementation 4.12, was correct, in response Executive
Officer Giroux confirmed that was correct.
Trustee Ellis requested that “from” be struck from the clause.
Moved by Trustee Ellis, seconded by Trustee Lyra Evans.
Moved by Trustee Ellis, seconded by Trustee Lyra Evans,
THAT the proposed revisions to P.137.SCO Concussion
Management, attached as Appendix B to Report 20-048, be approved
(Attached as Appendix D).
Carried
A recorded vote was held and the motion was carried unanimously by
those present:
FOR: Boothby, Blackburn, Hough, Campbell, Ellis, Jennekens, Penny,
Lyra Evans, Bell, Fisher, Schwartz, Scott (12
AGAINST: Nil (0
ABSTENTION: Nil (0
2.5 Notice of Motion, OPSBA Policy Resolution, Trustee Scott
Chair Scott highlighted that the Ontario Public School Boards' Association
(OPSBA) invites Boards to submit policy resolutions. With the
postponement of the annual general meeting until the fall, the deadline for
submitting policy resolutions has been extended.
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Chair Scott noted that the proposed policy resolution was developed as a
result of discussions with Student Trustee Gagne and Superintendent
Hardie at a conference during a presentation on the student trustee
situation in Ontario.
Chair Scott moved the following policy change:
THAT OPSBA support and advocate for the recognition of annual fees for
membership in the Ontario Student Trustees Association (OSTA-AECO) in
the determination of funding for school district governance in the provincial
Grants for Student Needs.
Trustee Boothby noted that concern about this topic resulted in
discussions at OPSBA on several occasions, as not all boards can afford
to have their student trustees attend all meetings. Trustee Boothby
shared her opinion that this policy would be welcomed by OPSBA and
thanked Trustee Scott for bringing it forward.
Motion moved by Trustee Scott, seconded by Trustee Boothby,
THAT OPSBA support and advocate for the recognition of annual
fees for membership in the Ontario Student Trustees Association
(OSTA-AECO) in the determination of funding for school district
governance in the provincial Grants for Student Needs.
Carried
A recorded vote was held and the motion was carried unanimously by
those present:
FOR: Scott, Boothby, Blackburn, Hough, Campbell, Ellis, Jennekens, Lyra
Evans, Bell, Fisher, Schwartz, Penny (12)
AGAINST: Nil (0)
ABSTENTION: Nil (0)
2.6 Report 20-056, Appointment of a Trustee to the Integrity Commissioner
Selection Committee (M. Giroux)
Director Williams-Taylor reminded trustees that the District has been
seeking an integrity commissioner, but the process was halted as the
process required review and one of the trustees sitting on the selection
committee has submitted their resignation. Report 20-056 addresses the
need to appoint an additional trustee to the committee and Executive
Officer Giroux will chair the selection process.
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Executive Officer Giroux invited trustees to provide nominations or to
self-nominate. If there is more than one nomination, a secret ballot will be
conducted to nominate the trustee to the committee.
During discussion, the following points were made:
●Trustee Boothby requested clarification on when the committee
meetings would be held, as they were previously held during the day
and suggested the timing be discussed. In response the following
answers were provided:
o Chair Scott highlighted that the District tries to accommodate
trustees but noted that staff work during the day;
o Executive Officer Giroux noted that the District tries to
accommodate the availability of trustees but can be more
accommodating. The challenge exists with the request for proposal
(RFP) process, as some individual work is assigned to trustees that
requires it to be done on their own time. Executive Officer Giroux
noted the timing of the next meeting is flexible and regarding the
interview component, efforts can be made to schedule them later,
but they generally need to be during the day; and
o As a follow up to Trustee Boothby's original comment, she
acknowledged that this process was very intensive for staff and
noted there was an equal ratio of staff to trustees at meetings.
●Trustee Schwartz inquired what the anticipated time commitment
would be, understanding that this depends on the number of
applicants and interviews. In response, Executive Officer Giroux noted
that there would be 1-2 meetings prior to the RFP, held by Zoom, each
lasting a few hours. During the interview and review phase, this would
depend on the number of applicants. It was noted that the District
would not issue the RFP until late August. This would allow for most of
the work to be accomplished in September 2020; and
●Executive Officer Giroux advised trustees that the RFP and review
templates would be developed by staff and that it would be a formal
process and that the manager of Supply Chain and Risk Management
department would be sitting on the panel. It was noted that members
of the committee must sign a letter of privacy and non disclosure.
Trustee Schwartz, seconded by Trustee Penny, self-nominated.
Trustee Jennekens, seconded by Trustee Boothby, self-nominated.
Moved by Trustee Lyra Evans, seconded by Trustee Campbell,
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THAT nominations be closed.
Carried
Following an election, Executive Officer Giroux declared THAT Trustee
Schwartz be appointed as a member of the Integrity Commissioner
Selection Committee.
Moved by Trustee Penny, Seconded by Trustee Ellis,
THAT Trustee Schwartz be appointed as a member of the Integrity
Commissioner Selection Committee.
Carried
3.Matters for Discussion
3.1 Report 20-059, Summary of Results from Student Survey (2019-2020):
Valuing Voices-Identity Matters (M. Giroux)
Director Williams-Taylor noted Report 20-059, Summary of Results from
Student Survey Valuing Voices-Identity Matters, was presented on 22
June 2020 and provided a summary of the process and outcomes. During
this session, Executive Officer Giroux and Manager Oracheski answered
questions.
●The information used from the 2016 Census Data from Statistics
Canada on total households, may or may not include information on
children. However, Manager Oracheski stated that staff plan to
compare the data used against the socio-economic status (SES)
indicator in the annual student achievement report. This is based on a
custom tabulation data set from Statistics Canada that only includes
households with school aged children. Staff will review the
comparisons with the Census information and see how closely it
reflects their SES and raise indicators;
●Regarding the OCDSB’s involvement in data collection and sharing of
data with other boards, Manager Oracheski noted that the Ottawa
Catholic School Board (OCSB) has not yet undertaken collection of
this kind of data. However, by 2023 it will be a requirement for all
school boards in Ontario to collect this type of information and release
an open data set. At this point, the OCDSB could access this
information from other school districts who have undertaken collection,
most of which are in the Toronto area;
●Trustee Campbell inquired how the OCDSB plans to identify and
adequately capture additional information on the high schools with a
low response rate. In response, Executive Officer Giroux recognized
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that work needs to be done to capture this but it will take place in the
next phase of analysis when considering school-based results. For
example the information collected will help to inform what strategies
should be considered and what areas need improvement. To the
question regarding imputation of missing data, Manager Oracheski
noted that due to the complexity and nature of identity it would not be
an appropriate approach to do this, however, staff will use other data
(e.g., from the student information system) to provide additional
context and better understand who’s voices may be missing from the
analysis; and
●Trustee Campbell stressed the importance of validating this
information in order to use data to inform decisions.
Moved by Trustee Lyra Evans, seconded by Trustee Ellis,
THAT the board move to adopt the rules of committee.
Carried
●The ranges of income presented in the survey did not directly reflect
those obtained from Statistics Canada, as they used $25,000
increments and the District used $20,000. The District decided to
adopt the range used by the Toronto district school boards;
●Trustee Lyra Evans provided a list of questions on observations from
the report responses, Executive Officer Giroux highlighted that the
questions related to respondents’ feelings and staff cannot explain the
reason for the response;
●Trustee Lyra Evans stated that based on survey results indicating
students are tired, a future meeting should be held to discuss delaying
the start time of high schools to 10:30 a.m. or 11:00 a.m.;
●Trustee Ellis requested more information on the school level
dashboards and what would be included and who would have access
to this information. In response Executive Officer Giroux highlighted
that the District provided zero suppression on the information collected
but this level of information cannot be provided at school levels, as it
could identify respondents. The District has yet to determine what
information will be circulated and to whom, but has committed to
keeping the information anonymous. It is the District's intention to
provide public facing data and a dashboard that provides schools with
a portrait of their school to post on their school website;
●Trustee Ellis encouraged staff to consider the role of the trustee when
creating the dashboard and how the information could be useful to
trustees to assist their community. In response Executive Director
Giroux stressed that access to this information is private and there is a
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need to protect easily identified respondents. In some cases,
principals will be provided basic information but not actual figures;
●Trustee Bell highlighted that the information that was prevalent to her
was around the percentage of students feeling racism, bullying and a
lack of safety. She inquired how staff will use this data to ensure
equity, continue the dialogue with students and how the District
compares to other board's surveys. In response to Trustee Bell:
o Executive Officer Giroux highlighted that the District has collected
data on the school climate, which provides similar perceptual
questions but not directly comparable, but the District does have
experience sharing the data and using the data to inform practices.
The data will be used to inform District-wide strategies and policies
and support school administrators to enhance student success and
to create a system of caring in schools;
o The research team has a data support model which
superintendents use to support models in the Programming and
Learning K-12 department and adolescent learning and innovation.
Planning is done with this data to target key areas of focus and to
create guiding questions for principals to help them understand
issues and affect change. The information is not directly
comparable to other districts, but the District has reviewed other
surveys and will continue to assess;
o Manager Oracheski emphasized that using the data support model
is a key method to work with schools. Similar work has been done
with the biannual school climate surveys, where the feedback is
provided to principals, who then initiate focus groups with their
students; and
o Executive Officer Giroux responded to the question of meaningful
communication with students on the data, highlighting that although
information and infographics will be shared with students, most
students are interested in their school community specifically.
Thought will be provided to how the equity team can support
students, how to learn from students and address their concerns.
Superintendent Baker added that principals are already having
conversations through virtual town halls with students, parents and
the community and through these, are addressing pressing and
timely concerns.
Motion by Trustee Ellis,
THAT return to rules of board.
Carried.
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Executive Officer Giroux highlighted that additional questions related to
Report 20-059 can be sent to the email
address valueingvoices@ocdsb.ca.
3.2 COVID-19 Update
Director Williams-Taylor advised that staff are in the process of preparing
for the return to school. The Ministry released its Approach to reopening
schools for the 2020-2021 School Year on Friday 19 June 2020. Most
districts have already been engaged in and have begun preliminary
planning for a variety of possible scenarios to permit a safe return to
school for students and staff. The Ministry guidelines notes three options
for return: a conventional return with some guidelines to prevent spread;
an adaptive model with many caveats and a fully virtual mode in the event
it is deemed unsafe to return.
Director Williams-Taylor noted that the adaptive approach to the return to
school - would see the creation of cohorts of no more than 15 students.
The cohorts are required to ensure contract tracing if required. Staff, in
collaboration with Ottawa Public Health (OPH) and co-terminous boards,
are reviewing the cohort model. It is anticipated that there may be
differentiation from one district to another depending on guidance from
their own public health units.
Director Williams-Taylor emphasized the importance of coordination with
the co-terminous boards particularly the OCSB as the two boards share
transportation. Although the District does not have the same collaboration
with the French Catholic or French Public boards, all local boards will have
to adhere to the guidance provided by both the Ministry and the direction
of OPH.
Director Williams-Taylor provided the following points in her COVID-19
update:
●The planning for transportation will have to follow the chosen academic
mode. The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) has
already begun to plan for a variety of models. The Associate Director
has led much of this work and continues to meet with OPH, OSTA and
OCSB staff;
●OCSB are suggesting a cohort model, with not every student at school
every day. The OCSB recognizes that the opportunity for more
students to be in attendance at certain schools will vary based on the
community needs and the school enrolment;
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●The District will consider its most vulnerable students first;
●The directors of education, in their regular meetings with the Deputy
Minister, anticipate further discussion to address emerging questions;
●The collaborative tables working to plan for the return to school and
continuity of learning include union representatives, the mental health
lead, the equity lead, as well as the managers of Business & Learning
Technology (B<) and Learning Support Services (LSS). The
collaborative tables have received input from all of the partners from
the inception of the planning process;
●Staff will meet to discuss the launch of a Thoughtexchange for
students, parents and staff seeking input on possible models and
reflections upon their experience to date. Staff anticipate the
Throughtexchange will be released the first week of July 2020.
In response to questions, the following points were noted:
●Trustee Ellis stressed the importance of providing support and routine
to higher needs students. He noted that many families have struggled
to support their children without the resources they previously had at
the school level;
●Trustee Penny thanked the Director for the update and noted that staff
well-being should be considered. He noted that unprecedented
situations often place undue stress on leadership and queried the
Director’s plans to mitigate this stress. Director Williams-Taylor
advised that the Director’s Executive Council have discussed this topic
and the need for balance. She noted that the OCDSB staff have risen
to the occasion. She added that the summer is not yielding many
opportunities for time off with the cancellation of many camps and
other summer programming. Staff recognizes the mental health and
well-being aspects of this problem. Staff cannot guarantee that schools
or the administration building will reopen or be ready for 1 September.
Staff continues to work to ensure employees remain calm and
reassured. The District will uphold the summer closure period the last
week of July and the first week of August. Staff will be encouraged to
have a break during this time;
●In response to a query from Trustee Bell, Director Williams-Taylor
noted that information regarding what communications the community
can expect over the summer will be important as the usual
communication with teachers will not be a part of the regular cycle.
The District does not have all of the information right now and is
working on both its planning for the reopening of schools and the
extended day programs but do not yet have clarity. Staff is unsure how
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the childcare model and school models can combine. Staff
understands that it is helpful for parents to remain up-to-date on the
District’s plans and will create a communication structure to ensure
messages are conveyed. Director Williams-Taylor added that a final
return to school model will likely not be provided until August 2020 as it
will be dictated by the numbers of new cases and data.
3.3 Report from OPSBA Representatives (if required)
Trustee Boothby announced that the date of the annual general meeting
for the Ontario Public School Board Association (OPSBA) has been set for
26 September 2020. Any resolutions from the Board need to be provided
to the OPSBA office by 15 July 2020.
4.Matters for Information
Director Williams-Taylor highlighted that the Ministry of Education just released a
memorandum pertaining to the new mathematics curriculum, which will be
provided to trustees for review. The announcement on 23 June 2020 outlined the
expectation of districts to implement the curriculum in September 2020.
Superintendent Towaij and the Program and Learning K-12 team have
commenced building the mathematics curriculum. A new component in the
curriculum relates to financial literacy. One challenge the District anticipates is
engaging students in the new curriculum model if the program is conducted
virtually in the fall.
5.New Business -- Information and Inquiries
Trustee Hough inquired if there were any updates on the status of the report card
portal.
Superintendent Lehman responded stating a number of parents have registered
for the online portal. Client services are managing inquiries from parents and
informing them registration for the portal is not restrictive and can be done at any
point. If parents cannot register, staff will ensure they receive their children's
report cards in the next couple weeks, either by email or by mail.
Report cards for secondary students are anticipated to be available by the third
or fourth of July.
Trustee Hough inquired if perhaps the messaging on the website should be
edited so that a deadline is not implied.
6.Adjournment
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Chair Scott thanked trustees and staff for being available for the continuation of
the 22 June 2020 meeting. It was noted that the next meeting will be a Special
Board meeting scheduled for 29 June 2020 at 7:00 p.m.
The meeting adjourned at 7:16 p.m.
Lynn Scott, Chair of the Board
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