TRUSTEE CODE OF CONDUCT

Under the Education Act, every school board is required to have a Trustee Code of Conduct to establish procedures and practices for effective, respectful, and transparent governance, and this Code of Conduct is required to be made available to the public. Here is the Peel District School Board Trustee Code of Conduct.

Dear Neighbour,

Former Ontario Premier Bill Davis once said, “Show me a good doctor, a good lawyer, a good whatever and I will show you a good kindergarten teacher, a good high school teacher and a good university professor. There is no more important commitment that a government can make than to education.”

These last few years have asked a lot of all of us. As we’ve all worked to adapt to these strange times, our kids have lost too much while learning has been interrupted. Looking forward, it’s time to work together towards our shared goals in ensuring access to quality public education for every child in our community. As your trustee, I’ll work to keep all our kids happy, in school, and earning the world-class education they need and deserve. Our board has been under ministry supervision since 2020 due to dysfunction and inequity, and the years ahead will require everyone involved to come together for the well-being of all students in Peel. There’s more work to do, and I’ll be proud to represent your family and your children’s interests.

Growing up, my family didn’t have a lot, but we had access to great education through our public system, and the opportunities opened up by our schools need to be supported and protected for all our children. As we adjust from the pandemic, I’m here to work together for better for my kids and yours, and the future of our region. I know how much is at stake and I hope to have your support.

What Do Trustees Do?

A school trustee is your locally elected representative in education, advocating for your community’s needs and working to maintain “a focus on student achievement, well-being and equity”. Learn more about a trustee’s role here.

CURRENT PARENT PERSPECTIVE

As a parent with two kids currently in PDSB schools (grades three and seven), I share many of the same hopes and concerns you speak about with me at your doors, in our community, by phone, and through email. I’ve seen the challenges my kids, their classmates, and families in our neighbourhoods have been facing through these last nine years as we’ve faced them together, and I want to strengthen that perspective within our board.

Parent and community engagement

We can’t represent people if we aren’t hearing from them, and transparency and accountability are vital. Our schools help shape our kids’ futures and your perspective matters. As your trustee, I’ll work to keep you informed and bring your voice back to education.

What’s most important to you? Reach out and let me know, and let’s talk.

Members of the public are welcome to request delegate status at Committee Meetings to share their views with Trustees regarding subject matter that falls within the Board’s responsibilities. Delegations can give Trustees the opportunity to hear community perspectives and concerns. Delegations may be presented in person, virtually, electronically, or as a written submission. Click below for more details. The perspectives you bring to us outside of delegations also help inform our work.

STAFFING LEVELS

Peel schools are currently struggling with staffing shortages across all positions throughout the board. My top priority is working to address this issue to ensure our schools are appropriately staffed so our kids will receive the instruction and support they need and deserve in our schools.

Student-centred Advocacy

Many students are facing new obstacles as a result of the pandemic, and many were already confronting additional barriers. Working with families and our community we can ensure we’re putting the needs of students first and helping to bridge gaps in equity, accessibility, and opportunity.

In 2020, the Ministry of Education issued 27 directives to the Peel board “with specific focus on eradicating anti-Black racism and inequities”. The work to ensure safe, welcoming learning environments, unlimited by discrimination, for all Peel students continues, and progress on the directives can be found at this dashboard.

PROGRESS: In January 2023, the Board of Trustees approved the Affirming Muslim Student Identities and Dismantling Islamophobia Strategy, a first of its kind, thanks to the incredible work and advocacy of so many here in Peel. This past January 2024 we gathered at the Central Board Office for a community celebration of the strategy and a discussion of the ongoing initiatives. In October 2023 PDSB held our first annual Muslim Youth Leadership Conference, two days of learning at CBO with students from across the board.

In response to rising concerns of harassment and violence towards the 2SLGBTQIA+ community [reported in late spring 2023 and demonstrated in both the Employment Systems Review and census], the Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution tasking operations with returning to Trustees with an action plan to better protect the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families. The Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+ Action Plan was passed on September 27th, 2023.

The board continues working towards eliminating racial disparities in suspensions and expulsions. At our board meeting on January 31, 2024, reports regarding discipline and safe school data were presented, revealing that year-over-year trends persist. Trustees asked for more context around the continued disparities in discipline data as well as increased concerns regarding violence as reported. The reports were referred to the next Curriculum, Equity, and Student Well-Being Committee meeting on February 13th, and again back to the full Board of Trustees on March 27th with updated data on disparities from December 2023 and February 2024. demonstrating that trends continue into this school year. Superintendent Stubbings and Associate Director Aujla responded regarding plans for individualized efforts and the next update is expected at a meeting of the Board of Trustees on May 22, 2024.

All meeting recordings are available here, or please reach out with any questions.

High Learning Standards

Public education offers our kids solid ground to stand on and grow from, and maintaining high standards for student achievement and well-being helps ensure all of our students have access to the quality learning experience they need to succeed and thrive.

PROGRESS: Students now have experienced significant disruption to their learning. In my role as Vice-Chair of the Curriculum, Equity, and Student Well-Being (CESW) Committee I meet regularly to discuss student learning initiatives and setting our students up for success. I successfully advocated for the return of final exams in grades 9 and 10 in the 2023-24 academic year, giving our students an earlier start to learning how to write exams and prepare for pressure they may face in whatever pathway they choose in their lives after PDSB. Operations continues to work to determine the best way to assess student learning, with updates coming to CESW.

Infrastructure Planning

These recent years have shone a light on the disrepair in many of our schools. The environment where our kids spend their days affects their learning. The most recent publicly available data by school from the Ministry of Education are from 2017 and list over $90 million in repair needs for our local schools, but it isn’t made clear what these numbers represent. Click here to see the most recently disclosed repair costs associated with your local school in our community. As your trustee, I would advocate for more transparency and accountability about the repairs needed in our schools to help ensure our kids are learning in safe, comfortable conditions.

PROGRESS: On November 29th, 2023, the Board of Trustees officially approved my motion to publish the Facility Condition Index (FCI) of all schools on the Peel District School Board website, providing greater transparency and accountability about the condition of the buildings where our students and staff spend their days. I am grateful to members of staff, senior team, and my fellow Trustees for their support in this measure. We are now at the beginning of a new five-year assessment cycle and will see FCI updates with new assessments.

Pandemic Recovery

The last three years of our kids’ learning have seen a lot of interruption. While we’ve all been affected, we haven’t all been affected the same way. Moving forward, it’s vital that we address additional challenges created by the pandemic and work to provide our all students with more stability and the opportunity to thrive. As your trustee, I’ll work to ensure the stability your family needs and the great education all our children deserve. Let’s give this time back to our kids.

PROGRESS: A concern shared by many parents and members of staff is the air quality within our schools, and what measures are being taken to help reduce the spread of illness within our schools. On October 5th, 2023, PDSB posted the Standardized Ventilation Measures Report for every school on their individual websites. To find the status for your school, search ‘ventilation’ on your school’s website and find the report, detailing measures in place to improve air quality in your facility. Here’s an example of a report from Streetsville Secondary.

Wards 6 & 11 Map and schools served

Britannia Public School
Champlain Trail Public School
David Leeder Middle School
Derry West Village Public School
Dolphin Senior Public School
Edenrose Public School
Ellengale Public School
Fairwind Senior Public School
Fallingbrook Middle School
Hazel McCallion Senior Public School
Levi Creek Public School
McBride Avenue Public School
Meadowvale Village Public School
Middlebury Public School
Mississauga Secondary School
Queenston Drive Public School
Ray Underhill Public School
Rick Hansen Secondary School
Sherwood Mills Public School
Springfield Public School
Streetsville Secondary School
The Woodlands Middle School
The Woodlands Secondary School
Thomas Street Middle School
Vista Heights Public School
West Credit Secondary School
Whitehorn Public School
Willow Way Public School