Update:
Optional Attendance & Secondary Program Review
The Optional Attendance policy is being reviewed to ensure consistency with the TDSB’s Mission, Values and Goals Policy, the Equity Policy and the Board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan.
- Read Draft Policy - Attendance at Schools Outside of Designated Attendance Area (formerly Optional Attendance) (P013)
The Optional Attendance policy has not been fully reviewed since 1998 when the TDSB was created.
We are also holding PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS as part of the Secondary Program Review. In June 2019, the Board of Trustees approved the action plan outlined in the Secondary Program Review report. This report presented the rationale for a comprehensive review of secondary school programming and related policies, procedures and practices (including Optional Attendance).
Final recommendations may include the following:
1. Potential consolidation of schools
2. Relocation or consolidation of existing program(s)
3. Repurposing of secondary school buildings to address other system needs, i.e. using a secondary school facility for a large elementary school
4. Different models of school organization, including full-year programming and campus models
Please share the following public consultation dates with your school communities and within your neighborhoods. These consultations are open to all:
November 14, 7:00 p.m. at Western Technical-Commercial School, 125 Evelyn Crescent, Cafeteria
November 20, 7:00 p.m. at East Education Office, 140 Borough Drive, Committee Room 3/4
November 26, 7:00 p.m. at C W Jefferys Collegiate Institute, 340 Sentinel Road, Cafeteria
November 28, 7:00 p.m. at John Polanyi Collegiate Institute, 640 Lawrence Avenue West, Cafeteria
More information about the Policy Consultation process will be found on the public TDSB site at the beginning of November.
NEW: Information about the Secondary Program Review can be found on the public TDSB site.
Q&A
Secondary Program Review: Questions and Answers
1. Why is the TDSB undertaking a Secondary Program Review at this time?
Current and projected enrolments at the secondary panel do not support the number of facilities in operation. The current utilization rate of TDSB secondary schools is 78.6%, the equivalent of close to 20,000 surplus pupil places.
The vision for the Secondary Program Review includes fewer schools with stronger programming, and increased access to courses that support all pathways, including apprenticeship and the workplace. The vision also supports the revitalization of neighbourhood secondary schools, many of which, over time, have experienced significant enrolment declines.
2. Will the TDSB be naming specific schools for closure?
No. Although the Secondary Program Review will provide recommendations that may include school closures or consolidation, relocation or consolidation of existing programs, and repurposing of secondary school buildings to address system needs, the recommendations will be made without naming specific schools. The needs of the system will be identified by geographical cluster.
School closures must follow the Ministry of Education’s Pupil Accommodation Review process. Currently, the Ministry has a moratorium on school closures in place. Once the moratorium is lifted, communication will be sent to specific schools that may be affected by a potential closure (including schools that would receive students from closing schools) to outline the process and invite participation from the school communities.
3. Why is the Optional Attendance policy being reviewed?
Optional Attendance is a TDSB process detailed in a policy and procedure that gives students the option to apply to attend schools other than their designated school by home address. This process allows students to access schools outside of their area, including those that offer specialized programs.
As a function of declining enrolment over the years, Optional Attendance has become much more pervasive across the system. Today, the reality across the city is that past practices of choice combined with the harsh reality of declining enrolment have created inequities where students are opting out of certain schools and neighbourhoods in favour of others.
This policy will be reviewed in the 2019-2020 school year to ensure consistency with the TDSB’s Mission, Values and Goals Policy, the Equity Policy and the Board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan. The Optional Attendance policy has not been fully examined or reviewed since its creation in 1998 when the TDSB was created. The review of the Optional Attendance policy and its procedure will be an important component of the Secondary Program Review.
4. Are there plans to eliminate Specialized Programs?
There is no plan to eliminate Specialized Programs. The Review will make recommendations which may include the creation or duplication of Specialized Programs in parts of the city where they do not exist, the consolidation of existing programs to support program viability, and the relocation of programs to ensure equity of access. As well, the Review will look at current admissions practices and criteria to increase equity of access across the system.
5. How long will it take to conduct the Secondary Program Review?
Monthly updates will be provided at Committee of the Whole meetings throughout the 2019-2020 school year. A final report will be presented to the Board of Trustees in June 2020.
6. Will students be consulted as part of the Secondary Program Review?
Yes, in addition to the feedback we received from the Student Voice consultations that the TDSB conducted in 2016-2017, plans are underway to engage students from schools across the TDSB in Grades 7 to 12.
7. Will parents have the option to voice their opinion?
Yes. We would like to hear feedback, recommendations, suggestions and concerns from parents. In addition to participation in the Policy Consultations, we encourage parents, students, staff and community members to contact us at SecondaryReview@tdsb.on.ca.
School Operations staff will be monitoring the new mailbox and following up as required. We look forward to hearing from you.
Other opportunities for consultation on this policy and the Secondary Program Review (face-to-face and online) will be made available throughout the months of November, December and January. More information on this will follow as it becomes available.
