Parent Involvement

Parent Involvement in the everyday life of a school is an essential part of an effective school. We encourage all types of parent involvement in our schools from classroom visits to helping us make the policies that affect your school.


School Councils

School Councils are an excellent way for parents to get involved in their child’s education. Every TDSB school has an elected school council. Your school council is an important forum for involving all members of the school community in matters that affect the education of students. The school council is made up of an elected committee of parents, staff and student representatives, appointed community members, the principal, and a general membership which includes all parents of children attending the school. The school council advises the principal and the Board on a variety of issues and activities relating to student achievement, curriculum goals and priorities, school budget priorities, school safety, renovation plans, after school activities, and criteria for selection of new principals.

To get more information on your school council, call your school for details or (416) 397-3528.


Ward Councils

Your child’s school is part of a larger community and faces many of the same issues as neighbouring schools and communities. The ward forum has parent representatives from schools councils in the ward who meet to discuss issues of common concern with their local school trustee. It provides an opportunity for school council members to inform the trustee about local school concerns. The ward forum is also an opportunity for the school trustee to inform parents about matters under consideration by the Board and to get their responses. In this way parents are able to have an input into Board decisions affecting not only their own schools about the whole school system. Some ward forums may have a formal council with a steering committee of parents, the trustee, sometimes the school superintendent. Other ward forums have regularly scheduled meetings convened by the trustee.

For information about the ward forum in your area, please contact your local trustee through the Trustees' Services Office (416) 397-3060.



Community Advisory Committees

Five community advisory committees have been established to improve parental and community input on policy and program issues. These committees will have the opportunity to advise the Board on its policies and programs, in addition to providing an advocacy role for parents and the community. The six community advisory committees that have been established are:

• Aboriginal Community Advisory Committee (ACAC)
• Early Years Advisory Committee (EYAC)
• Equity Policy Advisory Committee (EPAC)
• French as a Second Language Advisory Committee (FSLAC)
• Inner City Advisory Committee (ICAC)
• Parent Involvement Advisory Committee (PIAC)

In addition to these advisory committees, the Special Education Advisory Committee has been established as legislated by the Government of Ontario.

For more information, contact Lloyd McKell, Central Co-ordinator, Community Services at lloyd.mckell@tdsb.on.ca.


Parent Involvment Advisory Committee (PIAC)

The PIAC will provide advice to the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) on matters concerning the implementation of the Parent and Community Involvement Policy. It will also identify issues of broad community interest for the consideration of the TDSB and staff. The PIAC is comprised of a parent representative and an alternate from each of the 22 Wards, a representative from each recognized Community Liaison Group, designated TDSB staff and trustees appointed by the Board.

For more information, call Lloyd McKell, Central Co-ordinator, Community Services at (416) 397-3528.


Community Liaison Groups

Community Liaison Groups are city-wide groups made up of parents and community members from schools who identify a common interest in supporting or advocating for a particular program or the issues of concern to a particular ethnocultural community. These community groups apply to be recognized formally as TDSB Community Liaison Group. Our Community Liaison Groups at present are: The Parents Environmental Action Group, Toronto District Music Coalition, French as a Second Language Community Liaison Group, Toronto Federation of Chinese Parents, Toronto Portuguese-Canadian Coalition, Organization of Parents of Black Children, Toronto Vietnamese Parents Association, and Somali Parents Liaison Coalition.

For more information, call Lloyd McKell, Central Co-ordinator, Community Services, at (416) 397-3528.