Policy Review Committee: December 12, 2024

The Policy Review Committee meeting for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board took place on December 12, 2024. Staff brought forward 3 reports with 2 recommendations for discussion.

I voted in favour of the recommendations in Report 24-120, Recission of Policy P.042.SCO, Guidelines for Dealing with Reports of Strangers Approaching Students. Staff recommended that the policy be rescinded on the basis that the content is no longer relevant as the program the policy provides guidance for no longer exists and the policy is no longer applicable as other policies and procedures have been introduced/revised since its inception that better address the goals of the policy. The recommendations were carried.

I voted in favour of the recommendations in Report 24-130, Recission of Board Policy P.066.HR Performance Appraisal and Supervision for Professional Growth of Administrative and Support Staff, and P.089.HR Performance Appraisal and Supervision for Professional Growth of Teachers. Staff recommended that the policies be rescinded on the basis that the policy is no longer relevant due to the direction from the Ministry of Education on Teacher Performance Appraisal and Principal Performance Appraisal which renders the policy redundant. Additionally, administrative and support staff fall under Ottawa-Carleton District School Board’s policy on Performance Appraisal and Supervision for Administrative and Support Staff. The recommendations were carried.

Staff brought forward Report 24-129, Privacy Policy, Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for discussion. This report sought input into the proposed revisions on the policy for privacy and access to information and is considered a Tier 2 policy review. The most significant change to the policy pertains to the collection, use, and disclosure of student health information and how it is under the custody and control of the District, rather than the individual health care practitioners. The community can comment on the proposed changes on the Engage OCDSB website until January 31, 2025. During the discussion, I asked the following questions:

• Question: Are we following the best practices from other school boards and what they do in these cases?

  Answer: An environmental scan has not been flagged yet but through discussions with other Director of Education this seems to be the best practice in other school boards.

Please note, that the opinions expressed here are entirely my own and do not reflect an official position of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board or the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board of Trustees. Please note answers from staff are paraphrased, the recording can be found here if you would like to watch the entire meeting. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me using my contact form here.

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Key links

• Video for the Ad Hoc Policy Review Committee on December 12, 2024

• Agenda for the Ad Hoc Policy Review Committee on December 12, 2024

  • Report 24-120, Recission of Policy P.042.SCO, Guidelines for Dealing with Reports of Strangers Approaching Students.

    • Appendix A

  • Report 24-130, Recission of Board Policy P.066.HR Performance Appraisal and Supervision for Professional Growth of Administrative and Support Staff, and P.089.HR Performance Appraisal and Supervision for Professional Growth of Teachers

    • Appendix A

    • Appendix B

  • Report 24-129, Privacy Policy, Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

    • Appendix A

    • Appendix B