Read the full letter here.

Read Minister’s response here.

SENT VIA EMAIL

Hon. Jill Dunlop 
Minister of Education  
 
Dear Minister Dunlop,

On behalf of the Board of Trustees of the 嫩芽视频 (HCDSB), I am writing to formally request a Financial and Management Audit of the HCDSB, as passed by resolution at our November 19, 2024, Board Meeting. 

As you may know, the HCDSB has historically been one of the lowest-funded school boards in Ontario, presenting ongoing challenges in meeting the diverse and growing needs of our students, staff, and school communities. Despite our commitment to fiscal responsibility and providing high-quality Catholic education, this funding reality continues to impede our ability to address systemic gaps effectively. 

The HCDSB Board of Trustees believes it is both timely and necessary to engage in a collaborative process with the Ministry to identify opportunities to increase and diversify funding avenues.  

We kindly ask the Minister to consider initiating this audit, ideally before the completion of our next budget cycle, to ensure that the findings can meaningfully inform our financial planning and decision-making for next school year鈥檚 budget planning process. 

Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with the Ministry in our shared commitment to strengthening publicly funded education in Ontario.  

Sincerely,

Marvin Duarte 
Chair of the Board & Milton Trustee 
嫩芽视频 (HCDSB)

cc: Board of Trustees,
J. Klein, Director of Education

Read the full letter here.

Read Ministry’s response here.

SENT VIA EMAIL

The Honourable Stephen Lecce 
Minister of Education  

Dear Minister Lecce, 

I am writing on behalf of the 嫩芽视频 to express our deep concerns with ongoing funding challenges experienced by our school district and request a detailed explanation on how Grants for Student Needs are allocated.   

As a Board, we have consistently demonstrated fiscal responsibility in the provision of programs and services for our students. Year after year, we have effectively managed our resources with the ongoing focus on supporting the needs of our students. Despite our responsible stewardship, year after year, our school board is the lowest funded district in the province.   

Additionally, our Board is committed to offering quality mathematics instruction to the students we serve. However, there have been additional budget constraints in relation to hiring math facilitators and qualified staff to successfully establish a Math Recovery Plan, that is currently present in other school districts across the province.  

For the 2023-2024 school year budget, our Board did not receive funding for a Math Facilitator, which has only added to the existing challenges of providing quality math programming and support for our students.  

Based on the information provided in this letter, we would sincerely appreciate a detailed explanation on how Grants for Student Needs are allocated, that consistently places our school district as the lowest funded Board in the province of Ontario.  

It is our sincere hope that we can remedy the concerns indicated in this letter and receive the appropriate funding to help us better serve the needs of our students.  

Marvin Duarte 
Chair of the Board & Milton Trustee 
嫩芽视频 (HCDSB)

SENT VIA EMAIL

The Honourable Stephen Lecce
Minister of Education 

Dear Minister Lecce, 

I am writing on behalf of the 嫩芽视频, to share some of the significant challenges we are currently facing across our district since the recent relaxation of some of the health and safety measures that were previously in place in our schools.

For the past two years, school boards across the province have had to implement a number of new protocols and practices to help keep students and staff safe as we live and learn through a global pandemic. When schools re-opened for in-person instruction, our senior leadership team implemented a Return to School Plan, developed in consultation with Halton Region Public Health and in accordance with the Province鈥檚 Operational Guidance for Schools. We are proud of the way our community worked together to adopt each of the measures that were put in place to help keep our schools healthy and safe.

As you know, on March 21, 2022, some of the measures were lifted across our province, including the mask mandate for schools. While we strongly encourage the use of masks by students and staff while indoors at school, in the absence of a mandate, we have witnessed a marked decrease in the use of masks that has reduced our ability to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our school communities. 

We have received a number of concerns from staff and families in our community and we write to you today to share the impact on our district, with the hopes that your Ministry will consider reinstating some of the protective strategies that were in place prior to March 21st, including mandatory masking for students and staff while indoors at school. 

Staffing Shortages 

Staffing shortages have been an ongoing concern throughout the past two years, and our school board, like other school boards across the province, have experienced challenges in meeting supply teacher and support staff coverage needs due to the volume of staff absenteeism associated with exposure/contraction of COVID-19, in addition to our existing non-COVID related absenteeism challenges. Our Human Resources team continues to implement strategies and practices to help mitigate staffing challenges, however this has become increasingly more difficult to do, arguably impossible. Since the lifting of protective strategies on March 21, 2022, we are experiencing unprecedented levels of staff absences that are significantly impacting school operations. 

As outlined in the chart below, our school district experienced a notable increase in educator absenteeism in the three-week period following March Break (after the masking mandate in schools was lifted), as compared to the three-week period prior to March Break (when the masking mandate in schools was still in effect). This is true in both our elementary and secondary schools, although the rate of increase in absenteeism is greater in the elementary panel. 

Our schools work closely with our Human Resources department to find supply coverage when staff are absent and are doing all they can to provide continuity of learning while ensuring adequate supervision is in place in our classrooms to keep all students safe. 

It is important to note that our fill rate data (i.e. our ability to assign occasional staff to replace the number of absent staff) was markedly better prior to March Break as well; even though these levels were still at unprecedented levels. This could, at least in part, be attributed both to the level of discomfort of occasional staff to work in schools now that masks are no longer mandated, as well as their own increase in absenteeism due to exposure/contraction of COVID-19. 

When staff absences cannot be filled, it has necessitated other measures such as combining classes, and even cancelling classes when all available options have been exhausted. This is obviously less than ideal. 

Disruption to Families and Student Learning 

As Public Health Units are no longer tracking positive cases in schools, we do not have an accurate sense of student absences due to COVID-19. Some families choose to share this information voluntarily, and schools have seen an increase in self-reporting since the return from March Break. 

Student illness due to COVID-19 is disruptive to learning for children who are attending in-class instruction, and onerous to families who must take time off work or make arrangements for childcare, which presents another staffing impact due to associated staff absenteeism. 

Protecting Our Vulnerable Students, Families and Staff 

Although the protective measures that were in place up until the March Break did not eliminate all cases of COVID-19 in our schools, they helped mitigate the risks by decreasing exposure and helping to minimize the spread. This is especially important for the students, staff and family members in our community who are at greater risk of infection and serious illness. 

As noted by Dr. Meghani, Medical Officer of Health for Halton Region, 鈥渨e need to be mindful that the risk of infection and severe disease is greater for some individuals than others, including those who are immune-compromised, those with underlying health conditions, and older adults.鈥�

Public Health Ontario : 

鈥淭he uncertainty around the prevalence and severity of post- acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS) and its longer term impacts warrants consideration of strategies to mitigate high levels of population infection. In particular, those at highest risk of severe disease (e.g., immunocompromised, elderly, and racialized and low income populations), ineligible for vaccination (i.e., children less than 5 years) and those impacted by disruptions in educational settings can benefit from population-level interventions. 

Masking with high-quality masks (i.e., good fit and filtration) at a population level is a public health measure that can be effective at reducing transmission, while enabling community settings and activities to continue functioning.鈥� 

Current Public Health Evidence and Recommendations 

On April 8, 2022, Public Health Ontario published their most recent brief, .

As the brief indicates, 鈥淐lose monitoring of epidemiological trends since March 21, 2022 suggests a corresponding temporal association with a subsequent increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Confirmed case counts and the test positivity rates are increasing and currently higher than during the pandemic to date and indicative of Ontario being on the upswing of a sixth pandemic wave.鈥� 

The brief goes further to say that 鈥�Optimizing layers of prevention in K-12 schools, including improved ventilation/air quality, masking indoors, avoiding congregation of large unmasked groups, and access to well-fitted, high quality masks can reduce the risk of in- school transmission and related disruption.鈥� 

We encourage the use of masks by students and staff while indoors at school, however, in the absence of a mandate, we have witnessed a marked decrease in the use of masks that has limited our ability to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our school communities and its associated impacts to student learning. We expect these concerns will only be exacerbated in the coming month as, according to our Chief Medical Officer of Health, the resurgence is expected to peak at the end of May. 

It is for this reason that we write to you today. It has been a very long and challenging two years, and our students, families and staff have sacrificed so much throughout this pandemic. We all want a return to a more normal learning environment and we very much look forward to the time when we can safely relax all of the protocols that have been implemented to keep our schools and community safe. The evidence shows we are not there yet. 

Please help us keep our school communities healthy and safe by reinstating mandatory masking as a temporary measure to help mitigate the risks to our school communities as the next wave of COVID-19 resurges. 

We look forward to your response. Thank you, in advance, for your careful consideration.

Sincerely, 

Marvin Duarte
Chair of the Board  

Dr. Hamidah Meghani
Medical Officer of Health
Halton Region

Dear Dr. Meghani,

On behalf of the 嫩芽视频, we would like to thank you for the ongoing guidance and support that you and Halton Public Health provide to the students, families and staff in our district. 
We are particularly grateful for the advice and expertise you have shared throughout this pandemic. Our collaboration has been instrumental in keeping our schools healthy and safe. 

I am writing to you today to share the following motion that was adopted at the Regular Board Meeting held on November 3, 2021:

You will note from the wording in the motion that HCDSB Trustees are requesting your consideration in modifying the requirements outlined in two sections of the Halton Public Health Recommendations for Schools 2021-2022: secondary school cafeteria protocols, and elementary school recess protocols. 

This request is being made in light of feedback Trustees have received from our community. As articulated in the rationale of the motion, we are deeply concerned about student mental health and the ongoing negative impacts of the pandemic on children and youth. 

We recognize that subsequent to the adoption of this motion, Halton Public Health revised their Recommendations for Schools.  While the most recent version of the Recommendations, under Eating and Drinking 鈥� sections 8.2 and 8.4, has removed the requirement for capacity limits in cafeterias, the requirement for two metres of distance between cohorts remains. 

Given that Halton Region has a very high vaccination rate, we are hoping that you will consider revisiting some of the current restrictions that limit the ability of students to interact with their peers. 

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I thank you in advance for your consideration. 

Sincerely,

Patrick Murphy
Chair of the Board

April 19, 2021

RE: Inclusive Racial and Cultural Curriculum

Minister Lecce,

I am writing on behalf of the 嫩芽视频 to request a review and revision of the Ontario curriculum to ensure diverse perspectives and experiences are better reflected in our classrooms.

As a Catholic school district, we are committed to creating safe, inclusive and welcoming learning environments that support student achievement and well-being in our schools. This commitment is met in a variety of ways, including the policies that we write and implement, the leadership we promote and aspire to, the relationships we hold and nurture in our community, and the curriculum and assessment practices that are in place in our classrooms.

As outlined in , one of the key actions necessary to creating and maintaining equity and inclusion in our schools is strengthening inclusive culturally responsive and relevant curriculum, assessment and resources are available to educators. This is reflected in our Board Policy II-45 Equity and Inclusive Education, which states 鈥渟tudents must be represented in the curriculum and heard in the assessment and evaluation.鈥�

To that end, we are writing to formally request a review and revision of the Ontario curriculum to better incorporate the culture and history of racialized and marginalized students and staff, including: women, people with disabilities, Black and Indigenous People, People of Colour, and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals.

Ensuring that our schools are safe, inclusive and welcoming environments is essential to improving student achievement and well-being. The Ministry鈥檚 support in implementing revisions to the Ontario curriculum that reflect diverse perspectives and experiences is absolutely necessary to meeting our shared responsibility to the students we serve.

Sincerely,

Patrick Murphy
Chair of the Board

cc. HCDSB Board of Trustees
P. Daly, Director of Education
K. Kelly, Burlington Student Trustee
N. Gubert, Halton Hills Student Trustee
J. Roshdy, Oakville Student Trustee

Read the full letter.

We are writing on behalf of the 嫩芽视频 with an urgent and time-sensitive request for your consideration.

Specifically, we are requesting that education workers in Ontario be given the highest priority in the current phase of the COVID-19 vaccination schedule. 

As a school district, the safety and well-being of our staff, students, and families is our greatest concern. This year has presented extraordinary challenges, but we are working very closely with Halton Region Public Health to help ensure our schools are safe learning environments. We have a very comprehensive plan in place in each of our schools, which includes a number of health and safety protocols that were developed in consultation with Halton Public Health. 

Our school staff, under the leadership of our school administrators, are doing a tremendous job supporting the students and families we serve during a very difficult school year. Despite our best efforts, COVID-19 continues to spread in our communities, and cases are coming into our schools. 

Yesterday, Halton Region reported 138 new cases of COVID-19 鈥� the highest daily case count to date. Just today, your office declared a provincial emergency to help slow the spread of COVID-19. This measure imposes a stay-at-home order; however, schools remain open for in-person learning. 

As the virus continues to spread across the province, and case counts continue to climb in our communities, we are becoming increasingly more concerned for the well-being of our students and staff. 

While we would all agree that in-person learning is best for children and student mental health, the strain on our school staff cannot be overlooked. 

This is a stressful time for everyone as we live and work through a pandemic, but there are additional pressures on each of our frontline workers in education. 

Many of our school staff work closely with students with complex medical needs and should be vaccinated immediately. All staff who work with children and youth, including teachers and other education workers, school support staff, school bus drivers, and school administrators are at risk. Ensuring they are vaccinated as early as possible will protect our staff, so they can continue providing the exceptional service they are providing to our students, our families, and our community. 

Stopping the spread of COVID-19 is a shared responsibility, and it is incumbent on us to protect the frontline workers in all essential services 鈥� including education. 

We urge you to prioritize the immediate COVID-19 vaccination for all education workers in Ontario.

Sincerely,