Equity and Inclusive Education Regional Office Leads
Teleconference on February 2, 2010
Minutes
Attendance:
Jack Nigro (Toronto Regional Office), Nancy Guilbert (Toronto Regional Office),
Rebecca Menzies (London Regional Office), Sandra Morson (Barrie Regional Office),
Jim White (Sudbury / Northbay Regional Office), Jamil Nehmé (Ottawa Regional Office),
Doug Tateishi (Ottawa Regional Office).
Inclusive Education Branch: Tom Reid, Zubeda Vahed, Vanessa Lee, & Sandy Yep
Lloyd McKell (Toronto District School Board), Gail Belisario & Judith Ngan (Hamilton
Wentworth District School Board), Yolanda Baldasaro (Niagara Catholic District School
Board), Philip Howard & Barry Bedford (Durham District School Board), James Michaud
(Northeastern Catholic District School Board),
Regrets:
Nicole McAllister (Sudbury / Northbay Regional Office), Dave Pedwell (Inclusive
Education Branch)
Jacqueline Lawrence (Ottawa Carleton District School Board), Mario Lajoie (Conseil
scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien)
EIE Networks: Update by Regional office leads and by
Regional lead/banker boards
Toronto EIE Network: Jack Nigro (Ministry of Education); Nancy Guilbert (Ministry of
Education – French Language Boards); Lloyd McKell (Toronto District School Board)
Jack Nigro spoke about two major initiatives:
1. Toronto Regional Forum: April 12 & 13, 2010 ‘Leadership in Equity and
Inclusive Education”
Possible speakers: Gloria Landsen-Billings (culturally-relevant
curriculum), Pedro Noguera (Urban/Equity Education), Lt. Governor David
Onley (equity-disability), John Portelli (equity leadership), James Ryan
(leadership) and from OISE/U of T Centre for Urban Schooling.
April 12th all Board Equity leads (62) will be invited to attend.
2. International Conference on Inclusive Curriculum: October, 2011
Boards to note the date; supports the implementation of the Strategy.
Lloyd McKell spoke about the Toronto network; expressed the need to maintain the
network beyond the Strategy. They connect electronically and through teleconferences.
He would be happy to share initiatives with the network including: TDSB statement on
‘Black History Month’; new Guidelines for Religious Accommodations. Lloyd and Jack
will keep the network abreast of developments with respect to those two resources.
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London EIE Network: Rebecca Menzies (Ministry of Education); Gail Belisario & Judith
Ngan (Hamilton Wentworth District School Board); Yolanda Baldasaro (Niagara Catholic
District School Board)
Rebecca Menzies recognized the work of the network including their teleconference
meetings and the needs assessments conducted by the boards. While policy
development meets the network’s immediate needs, they are equally committed to the
implementation of the strategy. The regional conference is part of this ongoing work.
London Regional Equity and Inclusive Education Network Regional Session: February
25-26, 2010 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario
Gail Belisario, Judith Ngan & Yolanda Baldasaro spoke about the upcoming conference.
Up to 5 members each of the individual Board Implementation teams are invited.
Once the numbers are confirmed, London EIE network will invite others.
Conference starts on the evening of the 25th, keynote on the 26th followed by
workshops on issues like religious accommodations and the Catholic school
system, integrating equity into school improvement plans; LGBTQ programs, etc.
The will be an Aboriginal opening; equity vendors & student showcases.
Specific presentations by: Ontario Human Rights Commission, Keel Cottrelle,
and the Institute for Catholic Education.
To promote collaboration and sharing among members of the London Regional EIE
Implementation Network, individual Board teams will share their experiences and
expertise related to the Equity Strategy (based on areas identified in the needs
assessments). Conference information attached.
Barrie EIE Network: Sandra Morson (Ministry of Education); Philip Howard and Barry
Bedford (Durham District School Board)
Sandra Morson spoke about the engagement of the Barrie EIE Network that includes
eleven school boards and three school authorities. She highlighted the Equity and
‘Inclusive Education Needs Assessment Based on the Eight Areas of Focus’ that
identifies where individual boards are at with respect to policy and implementation.
These assessments allow Boards to identify assets and equity resources to share with
others. Philip Howard asked about the IEB Compendium of Equity Resources.
Barrie Regional Conference: April 12, 2010
Philip Howard and Barry Bedford spoke about the conference aimed at building capacity.
Up to 10 representatives from each school Board will be invited. Randall Lindsey will
lead the conference and speak about culturally proficient schools; school teams can
continue to learn this approach and/or divide into a second group to learn current
strategies, share resource from boards within the region or outside. The OHRC and the
IEB will be invited to participate.
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Sudbury / North Bay EIE Network: Jim White (Ministry of Education); James Michaud
(Northeastern Catholic District School Board)
Jim White spoke about the engagement of the Sudbury/North Bay EIE Network and the
large geographic scope of the region. Plans are underway to decentralize symposia to
address regional needs; there is a challenge to work with school authorities. Based on
the needs assessments conducted, two main areas of focus:
Community engagement and consulting stakeholders
Equity in board human resource policies, practices and programs.
James Michaud spoke about their engagement with the International Association of
Public Participation who may deliver a train-the-trainers conferences in two regions. This
public participation process is grounded in equity, has implications for stakeholder
engagement within boards and with communities, can assist with issues like religious
accommodations. A conference in the Timmins area will look at equity implications for
human resource policy/practice in school boards. There are plans to invite speakers
from the Ontario Human Rights Commission, Eric Rhoher, and others.
Once the dates of the Sudbury / North Bay EIE regional conferences are established
and the programs ready, invitations will be extended to the other networks.
Regional EIE Network of French Language Boards Jamel Nehmé (Ministry of
Education); regrets - Mario Lajoie (Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est
ontarien)
Jamil Nehmé provided an update on the Francophone EIE Network. They held one
network teleconference to conduct a needs assessment. Three areas of priority were
identified: 1) Board Equity Policy Development; 2) Guidelines for Religious
Accommodations; and 4) Reviewing policy and policy consultations.
The regional EIE network of French Language Boards conference in Toronto, March 4,
2010 – Religious Accommodations. A conference is being planned. Speakers to date
include Chris D’Souza (York University), Evadne Macedo (OHRC) & Patricia Hayes
(TDSB) among others. There is a need for French speaking resource people.
Jamil Nehmé expresssed the interest on the part of French Language Boards to be
informed of, and invited to symposia and learning opportunities in the regions.
Ottawa EIE Regional Network: Doug Tateishi (Ministry of Education); regrets -
Jacqueline Lawrence (Ottawa Carleton District School Board)
Doug Tateishi reported on the work of the Ottawa EIE Regional Network. There are two
major initiatives occurring:
1. Network members’ consultation with Trevor Wilson – February 5, 2010
Ottawa EIE Network planning a working meeting with Trevor Wilson.
Individual boards (up to 5 per) to consult with Trevor Wilson re: Policy
development. This plans to be an interactive conference based on 5 specific
themes.
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2. Ottawa EIE Regional Network Conference March 24 & 25 in Ottawa
Plans underway for conference. Speakers and topics identified; location
Centurion Conference centre. Up to 20 allowed per school board from within
network. The conference is open to 1 rep per Board outside Ottawa EIE
Network. Invitations have been extended to the French FL Boards.
It is anticipated that the OESC policy templates will be ready for review @
the conference
Doug Tateishi continues to inform Jamil Nehmé about English network developments.
Inclusive Education Branch Update
Tom Reed recognized the excellent work of the regional networks; their efforts to identify
needs, the development of activities and their willingness to engage. He provided an
update:
1) Final version of formatted ‘Guidelines for Policy Development and Implementation’
The original guidelines released in July 2009 did not include a glossary of terms. A final
formatted version of the Guideline containing a glossary of terms and language
regarding the revoking of PPM 112 and reference to Regulation 298: Religion in schools
s.27-29. The Ministry will send hard copies to all schools in Ontario.
2) Master Equity Contacts by Boards
This attached master list identifies and provides contact information regarding the Board
Equity Leads within all the boards.
3) Revised online Sample School Climate Surveys
The revised Sample School Climate Surveys include a section relating to equity and
inclusive education and revised incidents of sexual, gender-based bullying and
homophobia will be available in a variety of formats including an online version. This
survey will help schools assess how well all members of the school community feel safe,
welcome and accepted.
4) OESC equity and inclusive education policy template and guidelines for religious
accommodations
School Boards were asked to continue with their community consultations using PPM
119 (2009), draft policies previously by the consortium, or recently created board Equity
and Inclusive Education policies and/or guidelines for religious accommodations. It is
anticipated that the policy templates and guidelines by OESC will be drafted based on
PPM 119 (2009).
Other Items – Boards expressed a desire for the Ministry to continue supporting the
excellent work of the Regional Networks
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