facebook/ocasc / ocasc.ca / 133 Greenback Road, Ottawa, ON K2H 6L3
Date:February 19, 2015
Location:Fisher Park School, 250 Holland Avenue, Library
Time:7:00pm – 9:00pm
Member School (2014-2015) Total schools attending 27 out of 49 = 55%
Briargreen PS-Helen NormanBridlewood Community ES-Stacy Krahn
Castlefrank ES-Jennifer Christopher
Dunlop PS-Craig Tiberi
Earl of March SS-Donna Garnons-Williams
Emily Carr MS-Nim Cook
Fallingbrook ES-Bev Naylor (Liaison Officer)
First Ave PS-Gerry Nera
Glen Cairn PS-Paul Warner (Liaison Officer)
Glen Ogilvie PS-Stephanie Ettinger
Gloucester HS-Dan Rambo
Greenbank MS-Annette Murray
Hawthorne PS-Louise Crawford
Hilson Avenue PS-Brett Wilson
Huntley Centennial PS-Mark Tymowski (Communication) / Jack Donohue PS-Chris Bridgen (Co-Chair)
John McCrae SS-Ellen Dickson (Treasurer)
John Young ES-Mike Hickey
Lakeview PS-Tracy Neufeld (Co-Chair)
Lisgar CI-John Higgins
Longfields-Davidson Hts SS-Susan Klimchuk (Past Co-Chair)
Manordale PS-Cathy Babyak (Membership)
Maple Ridge ES-Cynthia Allen
Roch Carrier ES-Kim Loenhart
Rockcliffe Park PS-Joel Berger
Stephen Leacock PS-Donna Garnons-Williams
Westwind-Shauna MacEachern
Non-member School attending (6)
Adrienne Clarkson ES (ACES)-Gary LaverdureA Y Jackson SS-Mike Hickey
Elmdale PS-Megan Richardson / Fisher Park PS-Marcia Goodfellow
Sir Winston Churchill PS-Cara Baas
Stonecrest ES-Jen Muise (Recording Secretary)
Non-School Reps and Guests (7)
Allison Buchanan (OCDSB policy analyst), Chris Ellis (Zone 6 school trustee, Rideau and Rockcliffe),
Vicky Kyriaco (OSTA), Rebecca Kaell (ONFE, Junior Achievement) James Milne, Jordan Pearson, Brandon Moyes (Algonquin students)
Total attendance: 40
- Welcome and Call to Order
OCASC Co-Chair Tracy Neufeld welcomed members and guests and called the meeting to order at 7:05 pm.A special welcome to the Algonquin Students joining us this evening; they will be recording parts of the meeting for an assignment.
- Approval of Agenda
The agenda was approved as presented.
Motioned: Fallingbrook
Seconded: First Avenue
Passed Unanimously
- Approval of Minutes
Approval of Minutes of November 20 2014.Minutes are amended to reflect that under item 4c it should read Briar Green, not Briarbrooke. Also under item 3 minutes should read “Dec minutes” not Nov minutes
Motioned: Jack Donohue
Seconded: John Young
Passed Unanimously
- Chalk It Up
a) Maple Ridge – Charity fund raising- Do schools fundraise for charities? Assembly: At our school we have a philanthropy club that organizes these events. Maple Ridge: How do we set forth guidelines for this, to avoid political parties, unregistered charities, conflicting causes, etc.? A: Ultimately, parents/adults make the final decision on whether a fundraiser goes ahead. Castlefrank: If it's important, find a champion. For instance, a teacher has been affected by cancer and organizes the initiative. This can become a learning tool to find a champion. Rockcliffe: traditionally School council would do one charitable event per year. The school does its own fundraising, although this is not always met with enthusiasm. Chair: We created a policy that provides guidelines for the school, and all fundraising goes through council. Contact:
b) Stonecrest ES – AEDs – Stonecrest is looking into the acquisition of an AED (Defibrillator). Has anyone gone through this process, how did it go and is there anything we should look out for? First Ave: Be aware of service & liability issues, if one is available and not used there might be legal issues. John Young: A certain number of people will need to be certified & trained on the unit. First Ave: We got them for about 1200$, batteries need replacement. Emily Carr: Isn't this a board issue, not a School Council problem? Allison Buchanan: This is not a board issue; there are guidelines and such that must be followed that are set out in the city bylaws. Ultimately, the principal is responsible to ensure that someone is responsible for the unit. The board has no official position against AEDs but there are policies that need to be followed contact:
c) Ottawa network for education(ONfE): We are a not for profit who run a variety of programs, including the breakfast program, and Junior Achievement. We have one day entrepreneur programs for grade 7's and 8s that focus on preparing for careers, as well as a high school program called “Company” where the students create a product and company throughout the year. Last year we reached over 5000 students in the area, however we are struggling with volunteers and had to cancel many classes due to a lack of support. To get involved, sign up on line for the training program (2 hrs). Assembly: This is a Canada wide program; do you do this weekly or by the day? ONfE: We do this all in one day; it's a really great program. Chair: Some companies offer volunteer opportunities for their employees, this would be a great use of that time – 2 hrs plus a day would likely fit in parents abilities to help. ONfE: These programs are all free; we just need some help getting them delivered. Contact: or website:
d) Traffic Issues: We've been working with our councillor & public health, but we are having a hard time with compliance. Maple Ridge: We had this issue and we sent out emails, notices, etc. Finally our Principal and VP spent a month every morning redirecting traffic and insisting on compliance. Eventually it had effect Dunlop: We called bylaw services and we have an undercover officer that enforces the rules. Our SRO is also involved, and we are considering issuing tickets. Bridlewood: This has been a problem for years, we tried bylaw and that didn't work; the VP and Principal monitor traffic but it is still a problem. John Young: We're also using bylaw, and issuing tickets. We instituted a kiss and ride area, but we have encountered some ugly moments. Glen Cairn: Wall of shame, take pictures. Castle Frank: I think there might be legal issues with this. Allison Buchanan: The city should still have jurisdiction, as they do for handicapped zones and fire zones. Chris Ellis: I can look into it; there is likely an agreement with the city. Stonecrest: One solution to avoid ugliness is to have children hand out ‘tickets’ to offending parents Emily Carr – We use pylons to mark the spot. Briar Green: Parking on another street entirely and avoiding the school helped contact:
e) Westwind: Admissions for events: We've varied between charging for families and charging individually, but have had issues and complaints with both Assemblies: we charge admission for both individual and family rates, and have had no issues. We waive the fee if families can't afford it. Contact:
f) Stephen Leacock: We are having a French Book Fair on Feb 25 2-8 pm to support our library Contact:
5. Presentation: School Transportation Update & new policy – Vicky Kyriaco, OSTA
Changes are happening in September! New bell times, walking maps, hazard zone review and transportation plans have been made and ready for release in September. Also, we are doing consultation on a new program for students who are in a joint custody arrangement, and may have 2 homes. We have been doing this on a case by case basis, but it is time to formalize these plans into policy.
First, about bell times. We have had lots of communication about this, and have had many Spring 2013 was our first survey that we sent out to principals and school administration; due to low response rate, we sent a second survey. We met with the mayor and city council to assess crossing guards, snow removal etc. In 2014 we sent out general information newsletter, and a more specific newsletter about specific school information. We then held 25 public consultations across the city to address parent concerns.
Assembly: Was attendance good? VK: No, response was not great. We went to the principals and tried to get better attendance. We did get about 225 responses on the website survey.
In November 2014, changes of 10 minutes or less were approved by the OSTA board, and all proposed time changes of over 10 mins were listed on the website. Consultation was opened again, and the school boards were approached. After this the approvals were done and announced to the public.
Walking maps and hazard assessments – Previously, we were working off of several different maps. These needed to be amalgamated so that we could provide consistent service. We had internal consultations, and then went to public consultations. We sent out information to parents, and based on their responses, we did hundreds of reassessments. The final maps and summaries of feedback, as well as the outcomes, are posted on the OSTA website. Some things, such as snow removal, are not considered. Other issues, such as no sidewalk on a residential street, were considered to not be a hazard. However, no sidewalk on a major artery would be a concern. There is still an opportunity to file an appeal about hazard zones if there is a major concern. For the appeal to be effective, there must be a significant safety issue, new information (such as an increased collision rate at an intersection), or a concern that policy has not been followed.
We have sent out a newsletter to all parents, and a large map to each school. In April and May, all families who are affected by the changes will receive a letter. Also, a newsletter reminding people to check the website and learn more about the changes will be sent out.
Some hazards are more subjective in nature, and we have made an effort to reflect these issues.
Assembly: We had no bell changes announced until February, when we had no changes announced as later as December. Why did this happen? No parent is going to complain if there is no issue
VK: That should not have happened, I'll look into it.
Longfields: Will there be any changes in Barrhaven?
VK: Not at the moment, but this will be under review in the coming year. We will be looking at moving kids off OC Transpo and onto yellow school buses. This is a rapidly changing community, and we learned a lot from prior consultations.
Assembly: Do you include unmaintained pathways?
VK: We only include city maintained pathways, and in some cases these have changes
Assembly: How can I check the distances that you've assessed?
VK: There isn't really an easy way for parents to check distance, as we use specific software that is not accessible. Our concern is that we are measuring everyone the same way, but some distances might be one distance if you measure from one doorway, and one from another.
Assembly: Is there anywhere we can go to ensure pathways are cleared?
VK: You can call 311, or get in touch with OSTA and they will contact the city. The city has been very responsive.
Assembly: Are there more kids busing, or walking?
VK: More kids walk. In our drat that went to public consultation, we had about 2500 student who are affected, but now were at about 1500 students. This is across all boards, including Catholic.
Assembly: Are there going to be changes to secondary schools?
VK: We did do a bell time alignment. We have moved many students on yellow buses in the more suburban areas, but we simply can't provide yellow buses for downtown students. We didn't do assessments for the high schools, including the grades 7 & 8s that go to Secondary schools. These will be split out next year to be more equitable, as the 7's and 8's that go to elementary schools do have hazards taken into consideration.
Assembly: For students who will now be bused, will they be informed of the changes?
VK: Our main concern is with people who are losing services and softening their transition, but if we have time we will address the people who are gaining service.
Assembly: What types of hazards were removed?
VK: The typesof hazards that were removed were largely due to a lack of infrastructure, such as a neighbourhood was under construction but is now developed. Some were to align the hazards between the boards, as there were different guidelines for each board. Sometimes intersections change, or pathways are built, so the path is no longer considered hazardous.
Assembly: Will these hazards be reassessed at any point? With more kids walking, more kids will be driven in, are these issues taken into consideration?
VK: These are concerns we already deal with regularly. We go into school and help manage traffic, create walking school buses, and manage traffic around schools. Another piece where school councils can really get involved is to change parent’s behaviour around the school. Getting parents to park a little further away, for instance, can make a big difference. However, we can't use chaotic parking lots at the school as a hazard to institute busing. Transitioning to walking school buses varies from school to school – some are early adopters, others are not. We wanted to ensure that the programs are available and in place for September when there is demand.
Assembly: Will you send out notices to suggest children don't walk on snow days, cold days, etc.? Is there a policy about walking on cold days?
VK: We leave it to parents to decide whether to send their kids, and whether they are able to walk.
We changed our policy recently to be no cross boundary transportation at all. This has been inconsistent across the board, and it will not be approved in the future.
Variable Transportation is a policy that has come into being because of human rights tribunal that stated that we cannot discriminate based on marital status. It is going to have to be up to parents to manage transportation schedules. There will have to be a joint application, with a common schedule. We are only accepting a limited number of schedules, to limit risk and increase student safety. Each case will be considered individually. Students with special needs will need to go through learning support services to assess their need. The deadline for applications to ensure transportation is set up for Sept is June 15th. This will carry forward year to year, unlike the empty seat policy.
We have the policy and a survey set out on our website, and we would appreciate your input. Please read the policy before answering the survey.
Assembly: Some schools have classes that start before the bell time. Is there a policy to help get these kids to school?
VK: Not at the moment.
Chris Ellis: Why is childcare not accounted for in this Variable Transport policy?
VK: We are limited by capacity and budget concerns, as well as safety concerns. Right now, we have some students that are registered on more than one bus to account for childcare. However, it is up to the parent to manage this. This particular policy is being driven by the human rights tribunal, and childcare is not a part of the law.
Assembly: Are parents required to show a custody agreement, or can it be informal?
VK: The reason we are doing a joint application is so that parents don't need a custody agreement.
Assembly: What about gifted kids, or special needs kids, and cross boundary transport?
VK: If you are being directed by the board to go to a specific school for programming, it is not considered cross border transportation. This is about parents who possibly move, and want to keep their kids at their old school – OSTA will not be providing that service.
6. From your Trustee - Chris Ellis:
1) Schools as community hubs – Currently focused on Secondary, but expanding to elementary schools as well. AEDs we a topic of discussion; there will be discussions with School councils in the months to come. We are very interested in parents and other community member's viewpoints. Some schools are more involved with their communities already, but we are looking at increasing the partnerships with other city offices and programs, and how to go ahead with these programs smoothly with minimal friction.
2) Extended day: Very successful, but with a few small growing pains. Let your trustee know if you're having trouble. One of the problems is that principals are responsible for a longer day. Because the school is in use longer, there can also become a ratio of students: responsible adults issue in some schools. Assembly: When does this committee meet? CE: It should be on the board calendar, on the OCDSB website.
3) Board Budget: The budget process has begun. There is an expectation that provincial funding will be flat at best, and there may be pressure to adjust to ensure schools are working at capacity as much as possible. Next month, Mike Carson will visit to give more information on the budget.
7. From your Executive:
a) PIC – PIC visited the Family Reception Centre, a program set up to welcome new families to Ottawa. We saw how many of the pamphlets that PIC has developed are being used, and how students are oriented to the school board and life in Canada generally.
b) CoW was held last month; there has been talk about possible school closures, although there are no planned closures. The Chairs have some concerns about the process that is being employed to talk about these possible closures. We may want to consider getting together and discussing this process and our interface with the board.