STUDENT BILL OF RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Update- July, 2006
Student's Rights have taken an important step forward through the Toronto District School Board! The establishment of a project team to establish a foundation statement (Bill of Rights) was passed by Board on June 28th, 2006. Thank you to the hard and dedicated work of the SBR Team. It is because of your work that this has moved through the board process and is becoming a reality.
Presented in Report No. 5 of the Program and School Services Committee, Agenda Item Agenda Page
June 14, 2006 14.2 (2) 7
Student’s Rights Foundation Statement (01-06-0884)
The Board decided that a Students’ Rights Project Team be established to develop a foundation statement for students’ rights.
Dear SBR working team,
Our next meeting will be held at Northern Secondary School on November 28th at 6pm.
This will be a very important meeting as we will be taking all the work we have done thus far and begin forming it into a motion for Board. You are the authors of a document that will support students in the TDSB for many years to come!
I will send out a formal agenda for the meeting within the next week.
I will also provide dinner for everyone attending so please RSVP by email and let me know if you have any dietary considerations. Yes, free food!
Below are the minutes of the last meeting.
Remember, this is an inclusive meeting. Please feel free to invite any TDSB student you know from anywhere in Toronto who would like to participate.
Sincerely,
Josh
November 28 Meeting Agenda
Agenda
(Food will be available during our meeting)
Welcome by Student Trustee Molle Dorst and Trustee Josh Matlow
Introduction of Trustees, OSSFT and TSAA representitives
Introductions of all participants in the SBR working group
Discussion on minutes of previous meetings
Review of Legacy Toronto Board of Education Bill of Rights and Responsiblities
Round Table discussions
Collective next step decisions
Adjourn
Minutes from September 22nd 2005 Meeting
At Northern S.S. Sept 22, 2005
Trustee Matlow and Student Trustee Dorst gave overview of how this process began and how it would proceed.
Kim Wright gave overview of SBR history and why it needs to be revamped. Main reason is that it needs some updating. While the last update was in 1994 the internet, cell phones, PDAs, etc.didn’t really exist then so many things need to be upgrading. No bill of rights at the new TDSB.
Robert Langen, from OSSTF District 12 gave an overview of the Proclamation of Education Rights for Teens (PERT) document which was developed with students at Malvern. Gave participants a copy and created a discussion about it.
Roundtable Discussion Topics
Harmonization
Responsibilities of Staff & Students
Access to information
Responses to Discussion Topics
Group 1
- Teamwork – it takes teamwork to achieve things in schools
- Create a community with more student initiatives.
- Opening Assemblies should be a way to introduce all the clubs in the schools. This will give students more information about ways to be involved.
- Student Run Organizations - Students get more out of it if they are run by students. Individual projects based on interest, overseen by teachers.
- Full list of responsibilities should be told to people before they are given roles so that they can make informed decisions about whether it fits with there schedule / time commitments. This way they know what they are signing up for.
- Right to say no.
- Right to negotiate with Teachers individually.
- Volunteer hours should increase to 200 hours. ½ of which you should do in the school. ½ in the community.
To improve the school environment…
- There should be more meetings with Guidance Counsellors.
- Mandatory Sociology for Gr. 9 students. Also, more realistic courses like economics and civics to help develop life skills.
- More community building meetings – where people can voice concerns.
Group 2
Harmonization
Little things left open for interpretation
Values need to be harmonized
Group 3
Super Council known to every student. Allow for better communication flow.
Do school wide consultation.
Group 4
- Value of Harmonization across board on big items but with some flexibility for local issues. Info sharing across system would be helpful to understand why something work and others don’t
- A responsible student goes to class and has a balance of social and academic priorities.
- Access to info – better understanding of hierarchy
Questions
How would you ensure SBR not used against students.
This would inform students of there rights, not just by hearsay. Better information sharing would increase knowledge and skills.
Next meeting November 8th at 6pm, Northern Secondary School
Introduction
Board staff, members of the Super Council, and past and present Student Trustees and I are presently working on a new Student Involvement Protocol. An important component of this protocol will be a Student Bill of Rights and Responsibilities (SBR).
This Bill (motion) would encompass a number of issues which are important to students, ranging from health, safety and the environment to bullying and the right to information. It will also support how students can contribute to their school and community.
I would like to move this motion by early spring, 2006 and work with a range of students, staff and others who are committed to helping our students break through the TDSB's bureaucracy. I believe that we should not only "deliver services to students" but work with students as partners towards their own education.
My hope is that a SBR would help students feel more involved in their studies, in their school and in the decision-making process that affects their lives. This may lead to more students staying in school and enjoying their school experience while there.
Josh
Minutes from June 28th 2005 Meeting
Location: North Toronto C.I.
Hosted by: Josh Matlow, Trustee for St. Paul 's
Molle Dorst & Doug Sarro, Student Trustees
Group 1- Extra Curriculars & Academics
- Limits to the number of E.A.. Allow students to do as many as possible so long as it doesn’t interfere with academics.
- Same policy for number of E.A. across the board.
- Can’t go to school just to play sports
- Perhaps points for being on clubs etc. but only to a maximum level then you have to stop
- Education has to be first then opportunities for other things.
- Minimum grades should be maintained not just a pass
- Lateness policies should be standardized. Not left up to individual teachers or school. Very important also if changing schools.
- Lateness policies on assignments should be standardized and adhered to
Group 2 – Teacher/Student/Administration Relations and Environment
- Major issue is absentee teachers and a “revolving door” of teachers Sick leaves and substitues disrupt the classroom and the continuity of learning
- “Revolving Door” occurs when you start with one teacher, then another comes in, then perhaps a third all teaching the same class. This piecemeal approach is difficult for the students, as each teacher has a different style and a different emphasis and marking style. This becomes difficult for exams.
- Stable Teacher is key
- If a teacher has to be replaced mid-term it would be better if it is an internal candidate who the students know and this way the teacher also understands the environment
- Covering courses – substitutes are often not specialists in the field of study. This lowers there ability to teach the course at a high level. Especially in sciences.
- Try not to make adjustments right before end of year.
- Also, students should be have serious discussions with the administration and not be talked down to or condescended to. If they have come to you, they should be respected as any adult would be.
Group 3 – Student Governance and Money Issues
- Standardization of policies across the TDSB
- Student Council Constitutions should:
- Have same basic setup and positions
- Have the same Election periods and terms
- Have same roles and responsibilities
- Have Elections allow for absentee ballots. This is especially unfair to students who have first period spare
- Should be reviewed frequently and be readily available
- Allow for mid-tem evaluation of council
- Monetary Issues
- Students should have access to all information pertaining to student activies
- All students should be able to observe student council meetings
- Should be an accounting of all activites and open discussions of where the money should go
- All fees charged to students should be accounted for
- Charities should not be of a religious vein
- Formal Budget should be presented to students
- Students should have access to information such as
- Who invests in the schools (vending machines etc.)
- Where Cafeteria services are from and what they are serving
- What to do if in trouble at school such as who you can have present at suspension hearings
- Note on the standardization of Student Councils. Discussion was had on whether the roles should be standardized for Alternative schools. Further discussion to take place on small schools and Alt. Schools
Group 4 – Student Responsibilities & Student Relations
- Respect the school officials (teachers, admin and caretaking)
- Recycling should be provided throughout the school
- Blue bins for the schools, more recycling
- Recycling to be standardized throughout the system
- School officials are required to act on harassment/bullying by a teacher or student
- Standardize Mediation Processes
- Privacy of the student should be respected. Often the student is skipped over and the principal / teacher just calls the parents. Students should be a key partner is the home - school relationship.
- Teachers should teach, not just read from the textbooks.
- Teachers should be prepared with lesson plans, not just “Today’s a work period”
- Teachers should be able to justify marks
- Students should have all work back on a subject before being tested on it.
- Students should know when to expect an assignment returned.
- Students should be involved anonomously in teacher evaluation as is in the Education act.
- Standardized policies on late work should be across the board not just the discretion of the teacher.
- Standardized, and realistic for current times, policy on cell phone use during non-instructional time
- Students should have a reasonable dress code and follow it.
Key issues are standardization with flexibility.
Next Meeting: Thursday September 22nd, 7:00 P.M. at Northern Secondary School
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