Molepo: Elections for school board trustee in Ottawa are crucial. Here's why
Article content
Interest in municipal elections often centres on the mayoral and city council candidates. Much less attention is paid to the election of school board trustees. However, with a change this year in the provincial government, and controversial issues affecting education reform in Ontario, it is vital that voters be more attuned to who they choose to elect as a school board trustee on Oct. 22.
The position of school board trustee is the oldest elected office in Ontario. Predating Confederation, trustees were first elected in Ontario in 1816. As elected officials, a trustee’s primary role is to bring the concerns of parents, students and supporters of the board to the board’s attention as well as to focus on student achievement and well-being. In this way, trustees serve as a nexus between the community and local schools, advocating for inclusive, equitable schools that strive towards student excellence.
It is imperative that our school board trustees actively listen to the diverse voices of their constituents. Trustees must ensure active and concrete community engagement. By actively seeking out spaces where they can listen to those voices in the wards they represent, trustees can ensure broader representation of their constituents.
It is imperative that our school board trustees actively listen to the diverse voices of their constituents.
This is particularly important with respect to changes being made to Ontario’s health curriculum and the government’s announcement on education reform. Parents, students and teachers have to navigate new approaches to learning and teaching about sex and health.
The Progressive Conservative government has criticized the 2015 health curriculum, in part, for being developed with limited consultations among parents. Despite more than 4,000 parents being surveyed and 2,400 educators and stakeholders providing input into the development of the 2015 curriculum, the current government’s decision to repeal that version is based on the aim of a small population to keep sex education out of the classroom.
A human rights challenge to the interim health curriculum has been initiated, including an intervention by the Ontario Human Rights Commission. However, even if the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario finds that the interim curriculum is discriminatory, the decision may not lead to the re-instatement of the 2015 curriculum, or ultimately to an inclusive curriculum. Premier Doug Ford has indicated that he is prepared to invoke the notwithstanding clause of the Constitution to uphold what he considers the democratic legitimacy of the elected office. For Ford, elected politicians, not judges, should dictate public policy.
As community representatives, school board trustees can advocate at Queen’s Park for province-wide educational reform that reflects the needs of Ontario’s students and the diversity of Ontario’s population. They can advocate for a health curriculum that is non-discriminatory and that is reflective of Ontario’s diversity – one that protects vulnerable groups, in particular girls and LGBTQ+ students.
As ambassadors for student achievement and well-being, trustees are in a unique position to be the voice of thousands of students, parents and communities across Ontario who favour a health curriculum that teaches consent, gender identity and expression, and is reflective of 21st-century reality.
Trustees play an important role in setting policy direction within school boards and can champion and advocate for a holistic and inclusive health curriculum that fosters an awareness and understanding of issues affecting students. On Oct. 22, let us vote for trustees who share a vision of an inclusive and equitable school system, trustees who embody the true meaning of democratic governance by seeking and listening to the views of their constituents.
Ottawa’s Mante Molepo is a founding member of Parents for Diversity, a collective of parents committed to promoting inclusive schools that are free from discrimination and bias.
Ottawa’s school boards at a glance:
• Ottawa-Carleton District School Board: 12 trustees
• Ottawa Catholic School Board: 10 trustees, six acclaimed
• Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario: Seven trustees, three acclaimed
• Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est: Eight trustees, six acclaimed
More information here.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.