By Jack Brittle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Last week, the Halton District School Board (HDSB) held one of its monthly trustee meetings to discuss various items relevant to the board.
One of the action items on the agenda was “Suspensions and Expulsions Legal Professional Development.”
Jennifer Fowler, one of the superintendents of education, whose responsibilities are safe schools and student health, presented the report.
Fowler said that the superintendents meet annually with the trustees and that this year, they decided to use their time in the meeting to elaborate on a legal perspective for suspensions and expulsions, which is a new part of the training for educators.
“We’re very thankful to the suspension and expulsion student discipline committee,” Fowler said. “They do tend to hear concerns related to student’s suspension appeals as well as expulsions. And so, as part of the training this year, we thought it would be prudent to engage a legal perspective so that we can really focus on helping trustees, and everyone understand, mitigating factors, human rights-related queries, and the principal’s role in determining balance probabilities.”
“We’re looking to bring an anti-oppressive stance to our student discipline proceedings,” Fowler continued.
Fowler said that it would be a good opportunity for trustees to ask questions of the board’s legal counsel, who has supported them in this process.
She also said that the research and training coincides with the board’s work towards “addressing disproportionality” and to “engage in human rights and equity.”
Xin Yi Zhang, trustee for Burlington’s Wards 3 and 6, asked if the training material could be shared with the trustees so that they can familiarize themselves with it more. Fowler said that was a great idea and would ask her associates to prepare a package about it for the trustees.
In a follow-up question, Zhang said that he did not understand what the board meant by an “anti-oppressive policy.”
“I think we should follow all the legal requirements in our procedures and policies,” Zhang said.
Fowler clarified the definition of the term.
“It’s the idea and understanding that there is disproportionality that exists for different community groups and students that we serve,” Fowler said. “And so we want to make sure that we’re centering human rights and grounding our decisions in an anti-oppressive stance, recognizing the disproportionality.”
Zhang said that in December 2023, he presented a datasheet that disputed the claims made by local news media that certain groups of students represent a higher percentage of suspensions than others.
Two of the board’s monthly Inspire Awards were also given out at the meeting.
Jeanne Gray, trustee for Halton Hills, spoke about the criteria for the awards.
“The Inspire Award is awarded to individuals or groups who go above and beyond to support students, inspire them, and have a lasting impact on others in the Halton District School Board,” Gray said.
Gray spoke about the work that the team has done to deserve the award.
“The White Oaks Robotics Team has gone above and beyond in fostering student success and well-being, engaging over 150 students in STEM activities, and empowering members to take responsibility for mentorship, project management, fundraising, and community outreach,” Gray said. “This approach encourages students to become leaders and problem solvers, allowing them to learn technical skills in addition to developing confidence and a growth mindset.”
Gray also said that the team has also performed well competitively, with their senior team ranking first in Ontario and fifth in all of Canada.
The next award went to Kevin Hughes, a teacher and coach at Stewarttown Public School.
Amy Collard, board chair, spoke about Hughes’ contribution to the community.
“His endless energy is used to inspire and mentor young female athletes so they may be kind, confident, and talented leaders in their community,” Collard said. “These athletes clearly respect and value Mr. Hughes and acknowledge that his high expectations had a positive impact on their growth and achievement as individuals and as athletes. Many of these athletes have expressed how much he encouraged them to do better and be better.”
Collard also said that over the years, many of Hughes’ former students have returned to his school to volunteer in his classroom or help coach.
