3666 PROVINCE OF QUÉBEC Ville de Rosemère A Regular meeting of the Council of Commissioners of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board was held in the boardroom of the Administration Centre, 235 Montée Lesage, Rosemère, QC and via video conferencing on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 at 19:30 hours, at which were: Present at Administration Centre: Paolo Galati, Chairperson; Gaëlle Absolonne, Director General, Frédéric Greschner, Assistant Director General; Anna Sollazzo, Director of Corporate Affairs and Secretary General; Robin Bennett, Director of Information Technology; Michel Dufour, Director of Material Resources and Transportation. Present video conferencing: Vicky Kaliotzakis, Vice-Chairperson; Bob Pellerin, Vice-Chairperson Alternate; Commissioners Anick Brunet, James Di Sano, Guy Gagnon, Peter MacLaurin, Anne McMullon, Melissa Wall and Parent Commissioners Tara Anderson, Anthony Beliotis and Stéphane Henley. Also present via video conferencing were: Florence Delorme, Director of School Affairs and School Organization; Geoffrey Hipps, Director of Pedagogical Services; Stephanie Krenn, Director of Human Resources; Chao Ling Pan, Director of Financial Resources; and Jocelyne Thompson- Ness, Administration Officer. Absent: Commissioner Emilio Migliozzi The Chairperson called the meeting to order and verified quorum with the Secretary General. TIME: 19:31 hours After roll call, the Director of Corporate Affairs and Secretary General confirmed quorum. 0.0 Opening of Meeting 0.1 Acknowledgement of the Land “We [I] would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of the Kanien’keha:ka or Mohawk nation. The Mohawk Nation is also known as the “Eastern Door Keepers” and is a member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which also includes the Seneca, Cayuga, Tuscarora, Onondaga and Oneida Peoples. All those who gather here are counted as esteemed stakeholders in our community and most importantly friends.” The Chairperson read the following into the minutes: Before we begin with our council meeting tonight, I would like to take the time to offer my deepest condolences to all families and friends that have lost a loved one from covid-19. I would also like to say THANK YOU to our front-line workers, including those of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board such as our emergency daycare workers and caretakers. You are all so amazing! Like so many Canadians across the country, we have been feeling an immense amount of gratitude and respect for the heroes on the front lines. All over Canada, essential workers keep rising to the occasion to help us get through this challenging time, and all of them deserve our heartfelt thanks for their courage and commitment to their communities. 3667 Here at the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, we are proud to inform you that we have students and teachers who have volunteered to lend a helping hand to the Health sector during these unprecedented times we are living. To date, as part of the front-line workers; we have 17 Health sector students (current and graduates) and 8 Heath sector teachers, 6 that have now been working in Montreal health facilities. On behalf of Council, we wish to applaud you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts with your gesture of solidarity and we are so very proud to say that, Sir Wilfrid Laurier students and employees are making a difference! THANK-YOU We will get through this, Together. 1.0 Approval of the Agenda Approval of the Agenda Commissioner Guy Gagnon MOVED THAT the agenda be approved as presented in document #SWLSB-2020/04/29-CA-001. CC-200429-CA-0084 Carried unanimously 2.0 Approval of Minutes 2.1 February 11, 2020: Approval of Minutes Commissioner Melissa Wall MOVED THAT the minutes of the special meeting of the Council of February 11, 2020 Commissioners of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board held on February 11, 2020, having been received by all members prior to this meeting, be approved as written. CC-200429-CA-0085 Carried unanimously 2.2 February 26, 2020: Approval of Minutes Commissioner James Di Sano MOVED THAT the minutes of the regular meeting of the Council of February 26, 2020 Commissioners of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board held on February 26, 2020, having been received by all members prior to this meeting, be approved as written. CC-200429-CA-0086 Carried unanimously 2.3 March 31, 2020: Approval of Minutes Commissioner Peter MacLaurin MOVED THAT the minutes of the special meeting of the Council March 31, 2020 of Commissioners of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board held on March 31, 2020, having been received by all members prior to this meeting, be approved as written. CC-200429-CA-0087 Carried unanimously 3.0 Question Period The Director of Corporate Affairs and Secretary General explained the parameters of question period, as follows: As per the rules of procedure, the parameters regarding question periods must be explained to the public prior to the first question period: The agenda provides for two 20 minute question periods; For the first question period, questions are to be addressed to the Chair either by fax or by email by 13h00 the day of the meeting; The second question period must be restricted to questions pertaining to agenda items discussed at the meeting; 3668 The purpose of these questions periods are restricted to answering questions only, and not to enter into debates or conversations; For the members of the public who might be present in the boardroom: Each speaker is allowed 5 minutes to present all their questions. After each speaker’s 5 minute presentation, the Chairperson will provide any available answers. For the members of the public who are using the link provided on the school board website to view this meeting, you may type your questions in the Q&A Section of website. Please make sure to type your full name before all your questions. For any questions not related to agenda items, please consult the school board website. An FAQ section has been created in the COVID-19 dossier in which you will find answers to Frequently Asked Questions regarding the current extraordinary circumstances. Within this FAQ section, you will also find a link in which you may send the school board your questions and it will make sure to answer them in best possible delays. 4.0 Report from the Chairperson The Chairperson read the following into the minutes: “I would like to begin my report by thanking you, the parents for the incredible support you have given your children over the past several weeks as we are living in unprecedented times, under conditions that have sometimes been difficult. I would also like to thank our administrators and staff who continue to work diligently through these hard times in order to keep us all informed with the COVID-19 situation. Thank you teachers, for reaching out to your students, our children… that is greatly appreciated! March and April have proved to be historic months, not only for the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, but for everyone across the world. On March 11, just 2 days after our return from March break, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus as a pandemic as we then quickly began to feel the impact of COVID-19. On March 12, we, as a school board took the hard decision to close all schools for one day to assess the situation and prepare for the coming weeks. On March 13, the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge, declared the temporary closure of all schools/centres and learning institutions in Quebec for a two-week period. On March 22, this closure was extended until May 1, 2020. On April 27, a plan from the Minister of Education for the progressive return to school was announced. As of May 11, preschools and elementary schools will reopen in all regions, with the exception of schools located in the Greater Montreal Area (the CMM - Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal) which are scheduled to reopen on May 19 and that regular school childcare services will resume as the schools reopen. This reopening will be continuously monitored and reassessed. During this difficult shutdown period, the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board has focused efforts on several key areas from which our Director General, Ms. Gaëlle Absolonne will mention in her report such as: Maintaining essential school board operations; Operating emergency daycares in targeted areas of our huge school board territory; Respecting all public health directives, particularly for those employees continuing to report to work, and ensuring that those who work from home are well equipped including teachers; 3669 Offering online activities and resources to students and their families so that students can remain engaged in their learning and promote positive mental health; Ensuring on-going communication with our community through the frequent updates that were sent on behalf of myself and Ms. Absolonne; Finally, the roll-out plan to keep our students, staff and families safe once we begin a progressive, cautious and safe reopening of schools in May. On April 19th, I had an idea and conversation with our Director General, Ms. Absolonne regarding an online concert that would be similar to our Laurier Gala/Star Fest that takes place at the end of May each school year. The very next day we formed a committee with our communications department team Maxeen Jolin and Susan O’Keeffe, principal Nadia Anwar and myself. As Chairperson of the SWLSB, we are pleased to announce a new one-time event that will showcase the incredible talents of our students. This event, the SWLSB HOPE FEST, will be broadcast live on the school board’s Facebook page on Friday, May 29 at 7:30 pm hosted by Cousin Vinny from Virgin Radio.