YORK REGION DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD CHAIR'S COMMITTEE PUBLIC SESSION Meeting #1 Tuesday, August 25, 2020 Electronic Meeting 4:30 p.m. Access Instructions on page 3 AGENDA - Revised Page 3 1. Webinar and Access Instructions 2. Approval of Agenda 3. Declaration of Conflict of Interest 5 - 13 4. Approval of Minutes • June 22, 2020 BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES 15 - 24 1. Business Arising Report DISCUSSION ITEMS 25 - 32 1. Meetings of the Board of Trustees INFORMATION ITEMS 33 - 39 1. Renewal of the Ontario Public School Boards' Association Membership Fee 2020-2021 41 - 44 2. Call for Nominations for Ontario Public School Boards' Association Elected Positions 2020-2021 45 - 52 3. Correspondence from the Human Rights Commission regarding COVID-19: Respecting the rights of students with disabilities Page 1 of 84 53 - 54 4. Correspondence from the Halton District School Board to the Minister of Education regarding Build Back Better Task Force 55 - 56 5. Correspondence from Ontario School Library Association regarding Ensuring Student Success - Access to School Libraries 57 - 58 6. Correspondence from the Elementary Federation of Teachers' of Ontario regarding the Implementation of the New Mathematics Curriculum 59 - 61 7. Correspondence from the Halton District School Board to the Minister of Education regarding clarification on back to school planning 63 - 64 8. Correspondence from the Rainbow District School Board to the Minister of Education regarding clarification on back to school planning and funding concerns 65 - 69 9. Pending Items List DECISION ITEMS 71 - 82 1. Trustee Conference Requests 83 - 84 2. Agenda for Board Meeting - Public Session Tuesday, September 15, 2020 ADJOURNMENT Page 2 of 84 York Region District School Board: Accessing Electronic Meetings Connecting By Webinar Register for the Tuesday, August 25, 2020 Chair’s Committee Meeting (Electronic) at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4201203552438333966. You will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the webinar. For detailed information about the webinar registration process please visit the Electronic Meeting Resources page on the Board website. Connecting By Telephone Dial (647) 497-9389 and enter Access Code: 950-098-844# Support and Resources The Electronic Meeting Resource page also includes answers to frequently asked questions. Please review these materials in advance of joining the meeting. If you are having trouble connecting visit https://support.goto.com/webinar for support and answers to frequently asked questions or contact Corporate Secretariat and Trustee Services at [email protected] prior to 4:30 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Individual Accommodations If you require accessibility support for participation in any Board activities including meetings please contact Corporate Secretariat and Trustee Services at [email protected] or 905-727-0022 ext. 2217. Please see the Electronic Meeting Resource page for additional information. Privacy Statement: By registering for the webinar, you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your name and email address for the purposes of providing you with access to the meeting. Access to your personal information is limited to the meeting organizers. The York Region District School Board (the “Board”) will not use this personal information for any other purpose. Please review the Board’s privacy statement and policy for more information. Alternatively, you may access the meeting by telephone which does not register or share your personal information. Page 3 of 84 Page 4 of 84 YORK REGION DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD CHAIR’S COMMITTEE MINUTES MEETING #6 (PUBLIC) June 22, 2020 The public session of the Chair’s Committee meeting was held electronically at 2:44 p.m. on Tuesday, June 22, 2020 with the following committee members and resource staff present: C. Cordova L. Gilbert C. McBain B. McRoberts J. Nathan (Chair) C. LaTouche S. Reid L. Reinhardt L. Sirisko Also in attendance: Trustees R. Lynn, N. Mahmood, and E. Sinclair, Student Trustees M. Chou and N. Hamzea, Chief Financial Officer V. Maharaj, Superintendent of Education School and System Operations, Plant and Planning Services T. Dungey, Senior Manager Corporate Communications L. Miguelo, Coordinating Superintendent of Education Indigenous Education and Equity C. Roach, Assistant Manager, Corporate Secretariat and Trustee Services R. Fogah-Foster APPROVAL OF AGENDA (*)1. Moved by L. Gilbert, seconded by C. McBain: The agenda was approved, as written. - Carried - DECLARATION OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST Board Chair J. Nathan asked any trustee who has a direct personal interest or direct or indirect pecuniary interest in any matter being discussed at the meeting to state their conflict and the nature thereof. No conflicts were declared at this time. Page 5 of 84 CHAIR’S COMMITTEE MINUTES – PUBLIC SESSION PAGE 2 June 22, 2020 APPROVAL OF MINUTES Trustees requested an amendment to page four of the May 26, 2020 Chair’s Committee meeting minutes to reflect that the discussion of the Community Consultation: Trustee Vacancy did not include a motion. (*)2. Moved by B. McRoberts, seconded by L. Gilbert: That the minutes of the May 26, 2020 Chair’s Committee meeting be approved as amended. - Carried - BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES The committee received for information the Business Arising Report (BAR) outlining the status of action items from the May 26, 2020 Chair’s Committee meeting. Indigenous Student Trustee Selection Process In addition to the information contained in the BAR, First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Coordinator A. McConnell outlined; • meetings held with indigenous students to consult and inform them of the role of a student trustee, • details regarding the number of candidates who expressed interest in the role and students who were eligible to vote, • information about the livestream debate, • the electronic voting and verification process, • Ashton Wood from Huron Heights Public School was elected as the Board’s first Indigenous Student Trustee, and • how results were communicated to candidates and the system. DISCUSSION ITEMS Anti-Indigenous Racism and Anti-Black Racism (Appendix 1) At this time, Board Chair J. Nathan invited Trustee E. Sinclair to speak to her request. Trustee Sinclair noted; • the happenings around the world and in Canada regarding Anti-Black racism, • the importance of trustees having a deep understanding of Anti-Black racism, • training for trustees in the areas of anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism should be mandatory, Page 6 of 84 CHAIR’S COMMITTEE MINUTES – PUBLIC SESSION PAGE 3 June 22, 2020 • the need for including Indigenous and Black education and resources in the curriculum, • an opportunity for trustees, the director and senior staff to engage in a collaborative visioning exercise with an intentional focus on what the Board would “look like”, “sound like” and “feel like” if racism and oppression were eliminated, and • school boards that have integrated Indigenous and Black education and resources into their local curriculum. Action Item: Trustees requested a report on the use of police in York Region schools. Board Chair J. Nathan highlighted professional development scheduled in the Trustee Professional Learning Plan for 2020-2021 in the areas of Anti-Racism and Anti- Oppression, with specific focus on anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. Director of Education L. Sirisko expressed gratitude to Trustee E. Sinclair for putting these ideas forward. She highlighted that the Board is dedicated to eliminating all forms of hate in particular anti-black and anti-indigenous racism. Structures to support marginalized communities and yield equitable outcomes for students are being developed. Action Item: The ideas put forward by Trustee E. Sinclair will be shared with Tania Turner as part of the Anti-Black Racism Strategy (“the Strategy”) development. Tania Turner will be asked to engage with trustees in the development of the Strategy. Trustees raised questions and comments regarding; • the use and purpose of police in schools, • how other school boards are implementing culturally responsive resources into the curriculum starting in Kindergarten, • trustees and Advisory Committee engagement in the creation of the Strategy, • the importance of engaging all stakeholders to inform the Strategy, and • the impact of equity and human rights training for staff. In response to trustee questions, staff; • highlighted the Board’s dedication to examining how other district school boards have incorporated Black and Indigenous Education in the curriculum, • outlined the partnership with York Regional Police to support safe spaces for students, • noted the consultant will seek input from a broad variety of stakeholders as part of the Strategy development process, • referenced outreach to Inclusive Schools and Community Services from staff following equity and human rights training to continue the conversation at the local level, Page 7 of 84 CHAIR’S COMMITTEE MINUTES – PUBLIC SESSION PAGE 4 June 22, 2020 • outlined the impact of job action and Covid-19 on strategic planning, and • discussed the number of staff who participated in recent sessions related to anti- Black racism. Trustees requested an appropriate amount of time be allocated for the visioning exercise related to the Multi-Year Strategic Plan and Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression training as part of the Professional Development Plan for 2020-2021. As per existing practice, resources utilized for trustee professional development