Classes running smoothly despite controversy, says school board

After a chilly reception to an interim report on a proposed professionalism policy and dress code for teachers two weeks ago, the Halton District School Board (HDSB) will meet tonight (March 1) to receive the policy document.

The Feb. 15 board meeting was filled to capacity with concerned parents and other members of the community seeking a solution to a controversy which arose in September of last year when leaked photos and videos went around the world showing a teacher in a shop class at Oakville Trafalgar High School wearing tight- fitting shirts and sporting what appeared to be enormous prosthetic breasts.

In the months since, the matter has continued to draw international media attention, protests and bomb threats at the school and other HDSB targets, and many parents have said their concerns and questions go unaddressed. 

The board finally called for a professionalism policy that includes teachers' attire to be drafted in January following comments from Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce, who said the province expects the board to handle the matter.

Yesterday, three local MPPs — Burlington's Natalie Pierre, Oakville's Stephen Crawford and Oakville-North Burlington's Effie Triantafilopoulos — issued a joint statement saying Halton parents have "every right to be frustrated by the lack of leadership displayed by the HDSB."

The MPPs said the HDSB has failed to put the students' needs first and joined Lecce's call "for the HDSB to re-affirm the expectation of parents by imposing a professional standard and ensuring students are able to learn in a safe and respectful school environment."

The new policy document to be presented tonight has already been shared with stakeholders at HDSB schools and is available on the board's website, so those attending tonight may be less surprised by its contents.

Last night (Feb. 28), HDSB released a statement addressing the policy and expected next steps, saying the school board launched a two-week consultation last Friday (Feb. 24) and that once the trustees have reviewed feedback from the consultation, they will vote on the policy.

In a statement sent to BurlingtonToday, HDSB said "policies are meant to establish a framework and guiding principles" and once that policy is passed, staff would develop an accompanying administrative procedure, which would provide directives to schools.

The statement continued:

"The Halton District School Board has high standards and high expectations of the educators who work in all our schools. This particular policy will consolidate and affirm existing expectations regarding staff professionalism in school settings – and at school-based activities.

"We take immense pride in the inclusiveness, compassion and respect for human rights that our students and their families have demonstrated during this time. We will continue to prioritize students by setting an example of a Board that is inclusive, accepting and rooted in the belief of upholding human rights for everyone that is a part of this community.

"Our highest priority is the safety of our students. If we felt students were in harm’s way – we would not allow our schools to open. But classes are being attended, students are working respectfully with their teachers, and we have not seen any changes in attendance – all classes are well-attended."

The statement also reiterated that boards in Ontario are currently in negotiations with teachers' unions and cannot legally make changes to working conditions until those contracts are ratified.

No delegates are currently listed on the agenda for tonight's meeting. At the Feb. 15 sitting, delegates were not accepted unless they pre-submitted what they wanted to say to the board and one delegate, a transgender woman, was asked to remove portions of her remarks.

"Democracy is messy, but isn’t that the point of these meetings?" Julia Mallott asked in her remarks, after acknowledging the contentiousness of the issue. "To hear diverse perspectives and find solutions that work for all stakeholders?

"To illiberally filter delegations based on what the administration want shared is antithetical to everything democracy stands for, and it leaves none of us better off as it will result in a professionalism policy that is not representative of its constituents."