Toronto District School Board issued a survey to a random sample of parents/guardians and students, and all secondary school teachers, to better understand their views and level of support for the Government of Ontario’s plan for mandatory e-learning for all secondary students.

In total, approximately 5,000 members of the TDSB community responded, including 428 students (Grade 7-12) based on a random sample; 1,938 parents/guardians (Grade 2-12) based on a random sample; and 2,730 of all of TDSB’s secondary teachers.

Do you support the Ministry’s decision to require all students to take two e-learning/online learning credits in secondary school in order to graduate?

- Students - 87% (no)

- Parents / Guardians - 81% (no)

- Secondary Teachers - 97% (no)

In your opinion, would mandatory e-learning/online learning benefit students?

- Students - 67% (no); 21% (not sure)

- Parents / Guardians - 65% (no); 18% (not sure)

- Secondary Teachers - 91% (no); 6% (not sure)

The results show that of the student, parent/guardian and secondary school teacher respondents most do not support the government’s plan to make e-learning a mandatory requirement for graduation, nor do they believe that it will benefit students.

A suspension occurs when a student is removed from school temporarily for a specific period of time. A suspension will be considered when an incident happens at school, at a school-related activity (like a field trip), or in any other circumstances where the student’s behaviour has a negative impact on the school climate. Students may be suspended for a period of time ranging from one school day to 20 school days.

If a student or their parent/guardian believes that they have been suspended unfairly, there is an opportunity to appeal the suspension. An appeal does ensure that the suspension will be reviewed at a hearing by an independent discipline committee, which consists of three Trustees.

At the hearing, both the principal and the family will have a chance to present their case. After both sides have presented, the Trustees will have an opportunity to ask questions relating to the incident to both the principal and the family. The Trustees will then deliberate in private and come to a decision on whether to uphold, quash or amend the suspension. That is, the Discipline Committee will decide on whether the suspension was applied appropriately, or if the student shouldn’t have been suspended and record of it be removed or the length of suspension was too long and should be amended.

Many believe that suspension records will affect university or college admissions or future career opportunities. However, it should be noted that suspension records will only appear in a student’s Ontario Student Record (OSR) and only travels with them until they have graduated from high school. Records of suspensions will not affect post-secondary admission or future work prospects.

For more information on suspension appeals or expulsion hearings, please contact the Student Discipline Committee Coordinator, Daniel Nortes, at SDC-TDSB@tdsb.on.ca .

The Parents as Partners Conference 2020 is on Saturday, March 28 and all parents are welcome!

This free conference – planned by parents, for parents – includes a variety of workshops and resources that will help any parent support their child in their achievement and well-being at school and at home.

This year’s keynote speaker is Kim Katrin, an internationally acclaimed award winning educator, writer, artist & consultant. With a focus on student life, Kim explores how intersections of race, sexual orientation, and gender impact mental wellness. Emphasizing these connections allows for an inclusive discussion and a holistic focus on mental wellness and community engagement.

Technology micro-sessions are also being offered to help parents develop their computer literacy as well as bring them up to speed on many applications used by TDSB students.

Transportation, food and translators are all provided, as well as free day camp for children ages 4-12 to support participants attending the conference. Registration opens mid-February at https://www.parentsaspartners.ca/ .

During the month of February, the Toronto District School Board is proud to recognize and celebrate African Heritage Month. It is an occasion to recognize and celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Peoples of African Descent to Canada and the world. The chosen theme for 2019-2020 is"UBUNTU: I am because we are” which is derived from the Nguni Bantu term in Southern Africa. UBUNTU is a South African term used by the Zulu community that represents an ethic of African traditional life. The philosophy of UBUNTU realizes that everything is interconnected; “everything that I do has an effect on you and your well-being and everything that you do has an effect on me and my well-being.” This year’s poster reflected the theme, "UBUNTU: I am because we are” and was created by students from Downsview Secondary School under the leadership of their teacher, Matthew Chapman. 

Toronto District School Board is proud to recognize Chinese Heritage Month (CHM) during the month of February and the theme of TDSB’s Chinese Heritage Month is Year of the Rat: Intelligent, Wise, Charming, Social, & Ambitious .

Chinese-Canadians celebrated Lunar New year on Saturday, January 25. Lunar New Year is also known as the Spring Festival and begins with the first moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar 15 days later.

During this month, we celebrate the energetic culture and traditions of the Chinese community with students, staff and community members of the Toronto District School Board and the City of Toronto.

This poster was designed by a student at Macklin PS and won 2nd place in the Elementary division of our Chinese Heritage Month poster contest.

The TDSB and the Urban Indigenous Education Centre are hosting an Opportunity Fair for Indigenous youth on February 29th from 11am-3pm at the Wandering Spirit School. Please see poster for details.