GUELPH – Policies about child abuse and protection, safe schools, safe arrival, accessibility, external research projects and community planning and facility partnerships have been updated.
The updated policies were approved during a board meeting on April 7.
Child abuse, protection
Revisions to the board’s policy on child abuse and protection included:
– clarify staff’s duty to report and the board’s role in supporting employees, students and families;
– noting enhanced training for employees in UGDSB schools and communications to parents/guardians around all forms of child abuse;
– noting education provided to students around abuse; and
– adding definitions and reporting requirements for employees.
The policy was first adopted in 2000 and last updated in 2019.
In December, Bill 123, Erin’s Law (Child Sexual Abuse Prevention and Reporting) became law, amending the Education Act to require school boards “establish a policy under which pupils in its schools are engaged annually, in a developmentally appropriate manner, regarding the topics of child sexual abuse and reporting,” the policy review plan states.
Safe schools
Changes to the Safe Schools Policy included defining terms and highlighting:
– the board’s commitment to the equal treatment of all students in the review of behaviour and throughout the progressive discipline process;
– acknowledgement of possible disproportionality of safe schools practices on students from equity-deserving groups;
– elaborating on how a student’s behaviour may be corrected;
-identifying and addressing disparities; and
– an equitable and transparent appeals process for students and families.
Defined terms include bullying, cyber bullying, mitigating factors, positive school climate and progressive discipline.
Progressive discipline “refers to a whole school approach that utilizes a continuum of prevention programs, interventions, supports and consequences to address unacceptable student behaviour, building upon strategies that promote positive behaviours,” the policy states.
The revised policy also includes updated language outlining four procedures:
– bullying prevention and intervention;
– progressive discipline;
– exclusion; and
– suspension and expulsion.
The policy was first adopted in 2010 and last updated in 2022.
Safe arrival
Updates to the safe arrival policy included revising the policy statement for better clarity, defining terms and specifying the responsibility of parents and guardians to report student absences and late arrivals, and of the board to report, track and monitor student absences and lateness.
A definition was added for the term emergency contact.
“Elementary parents/guardians receive a phone call from the school in the morning if their student is unaccounted for,” the policy review plan notes, while “Secondary parents/guardians receive an email or text at the end of the day (after school hours) reporting absences for all instructional classes of the day.”
It highlights the importance of educators taking and reporting attendance in a timely manner (twice a day in elementary school and at the start of each class in secondary).
The policy was first adopted in May 1999 and last updated in November 2018.
Accessibility
The accessibility policy was out for public consultation from Jan. 15 until Feb. 13, and nine comments were submitted.
Two of these comments “led to additional text in the policy relating to the definition of accessibility committed and an additional example of a possible service disruption,” notes a report from the board’s policies and priorities committee.
The accessibility committee is an advisory committee of staff from various departments “who are responsible for identifying accessibility needs and/or requirements and accomplishments within their department,” the report states.
“Schools, offices and facilities will post a disruption of service notice at the site and on the school or board website when services that are normally provided to a person with a disability, such as access to an elevator or automated doors, are currently unavailable,” the report notes.
The accessibility policy was first adopted in March, 2013 and last revised in May 2018.
It includes guidance about considering accessibility when reviewing polices, practices and procedures, procuring or acquiring goods, services or facilities, planning field trips, providing customer services, communicating with the public, providing educational materials in accessible formats, designing new building projects and providing transportation.
External research projects
The external research projects policy was approved for stakeholder consultation in March, 2024.
The policy was first adopted in March 1998 and last updated in June 2020.
“The revised draft policy was shared with researchers that the board has previously collaborated with, as well as department chairs at Ontario universities and legal counsel,” states a report from the policies and priorities committee.
“External individuals or organizations proposing to conduct research that will involved UGDSB staff, students, parents/guardians and/or school communities are invited to submit an application for approval, in accordance with the terms and conditions outlined in the policy and the accompanying procedures and appendixes,” the policy states.
Applicants are considered by a UGDSB research application review panel, and “priority will be given to proposals that align with the board’s research agenda,” it notes.
Community planning, facility partnerships
The board’s policy on community planning and facility partnerships is meant to help the board make use of “underutilized school space by establishing facility partnerships and to support effective planning with community partners for the use of space in new and existing facilities,” according to a report from the policies and priorities committee.
The policy “provides direction to work with community partners to share facilities to the benefit of the board, students and the community, and to optimize the use of public assets owned by the board,” it continues.
Updates to this policy included revising the policy statement to clarify the board’s commitment to develop facility partnerships where compatible and viable and adding a definitions section.
Notes were also added in the procedures section, clarifying how partnership opportunities are identified, the requirement of annual meetings to advise of planning and potential partnership opportunities, the full cost-recovery nature of all facility partnerships and the review of potential partners by the board of trustees.
The policy was first adopted in April 2010 and last revised in June 2016.
To read any of UGDSB’s policies in full visit ugdsb.ca/page/policies-procedures-and-protocols.
