These are highlights from the public meeting of the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board held May 26, 2025.
Acknowledgement of Traditional Lands
Alisha Makkar, Student Trustee, Centennial Secondary School, offered a Land Acknowledgement.
Presentation: Mental health and the culture of care at HPEDSB
This presentation provided an update about mental health supports available to students at schools. Jolie Brant, Mental Health Lead, described the tired approach to mental health. The three tiers are good for all (Tier 1), necessary for some (Tier 2) and essential for few (Tier 3). Brant also shared a few student experiences at schools, including teachers helping them to feel welcome and also helping students use strategies at school to deal with topics like anxiety and worry.
Rise and report from Committee of the Whole
The Committee of the Whole met this evening with two Human Resources matters and a breach of the Trustee Code of Conduct discussed.
External committee reports
Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA)
Highlights from this report included the following:
- update from the Board of Directors meeting on May 2 and 3, specifically background about the Ontario Education Services Corporation (OESC); measles update; concern about the provincial government approach to school boards, with a few presently under investigation.
Board members approved the following appointments to the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association for the 2025-2026 Term of Office:
- Trustee Binder is appointed to the OPSBA Board of Directors and will serve as the voting delegate.
- Trustee Robertson is appointed as the OPSBA alternate voting delegate.
Find out more on page 23 of the agenda.
Standing committee reports
Governance and Policy Committee: May 20, 2025
Highlights from this report are listed on page 27 of the agenda.
In addition, Board members approved recommendations relating to:
- revisions to Policy 1: Board Vision, Mission and Priorities; and removal of Policy 14: Hearing Terminations; and
- a framework to support yearly trustee attendance for up to two trustees to
attend the Canadian School Board Association (CSBA) Conference.
Physical Planning, Finance and Building Committee: May 12, 2025
Highlights from this report are listed on page 37 of the agenda.
Statutory committee reports
Parent Involvement Committee: May 14, 2025
Highlights from this report are listed on page 38 of the agenda.
Special Education Advisory Committee: April 24, 2025
Highlights from this report are listed on page 39 of the agenda. In addition, Board members approved the
amendments to the Special Education Plan 2024-2025. Refer to page 40 of the agenda for more information.
Supervised Alternative Learning (SAL) Committee: April 30 and May 14, 2025
Highlights from this report are listed on page 101 of the agenda.
Advisory committee reports
Accessibility Advisory Committee: May 15, 2025
Highlights from this report are listed on page 102 of the agenda.
Equity and Inclusivity Advisory Committee: May 8, 2025
Highlights from this report are listed on page 103 of the agenda.
Indigenous Education Advisory Committee: May 13, 2025
Highlights from this report are listed on page 104 of the agenda.
Student Voice
Highlights from this report are listed on page 105 of the agenda.
Three new students were introduced for the 2025-2026 school year. Welcome to:
- Audrey Maracle, Indigenous Student Trustee, Prince Edward Collegiate Institute
- Thomas Rice, Prince Edward Collegiate Institute
- Maria Nash, Centennial Secondary School
They will be officially sworn in at the September meeting.
Invitation for trustee sharing
Highlights from this report included the following:
- the strategic plan for 2025-2030 is now approved;
- budget planning is underway, albeit with constraints; additional trustee meetings may be required in June;
- recognition of student trustees for their leadership and contributions to student learning and the Board;
- recognition of the Central Hastings School community for raising approximately $24,000 for Relay for Life;
- best wishes for student athletes competing in East Region sports in Ottawa this week;
- recognition of Inspiring Excellence Award recipients and the nominators;
- participation in Rescue Readers at the Humane Society where students read to animals;
- Wellness Day at Centennial Secondary organized by senior students for junior students;
- school visits with MP Tyler Alsopp for Take Your MPP to Work Day;
- track and field events at North Hastings schools;
- Pancake Breakfast at North Hastings High School next week;
- North Hastings HS theatre production at the Playhouse on June 2; and
- former Director of Education Phil Ainsworth died last month in Prince Edward County.
Director's report
Highlights from this report included the following:
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Welcome to the incoming Student Trustees
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CODE (Council of Ontario Directors of Education) Whitepaper: Ontario Education Staffing Crisis - Addressing the Shortage of Certified Teachers in Ontario Classrooms; Calls to Action: 13 of them to address the teacher shortage; funding more seats in Teacher’s College; use of retired teachers; incentives for high-demand areas; targeted recruitment; data collection.
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Thankful that the provincial government has announced funding for 2,600 additional spaces in teacher education for next year.
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Terry Fox events: Schools raised $62,794.17 last year. We were just $300 shy of $1.5 million fundraised over 44 years (total of $1,499,724.15).
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Two schools have longevity with the Terry Fox event: Bird’s Creek, 41 times and Central Hastings School 42 times.
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Education activities and celebrations: Ontario Skills students and events: We had 10 students in the top 10 in the province in the following categories: Auto Service Technology, 10th place; Baking, 8th place; Fashion Design, 9th place; Precision Machining, 6th place; TV/Video Production, 6th place; Workplace Safety, 6th place; Welding, 2nd place and 3rd place. Other competitors in construction both individual and team build, electronics and more.
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School theatre productions: Annie at Stirling PS; Mean Girls at PECI and Murder on the Orient Express at Eastside.
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DELF (French assessment) held at the Education Centre rather than students needing to travel to Ottawa.
Staff reports
Telling our story: How Communications Services supports the strategic plan
Communications Services continues to play a strategic role in advancing the HPEDSB priorities through
clear, timely and purposeful engagement. A key contribution during this school year has been the team’s collaboration with internal and external partners. This was demonstrated in numerous ways through direct interactions with students and families, schools and
departments for campaigns, consultations and crisis communications.
An area for growth is to develop and use feedback tools, such as periodic surveys or polls, to foster
two-way communication as a way to listen, support responsive decision-making and have greater
transparency, rather than simply provide information. Find out more on page 106 of the agenda.
Special Education Continuous Improvement Action Plan
In our commitment to a system-wide inquiry stance, we continuously evaluate the actions and
practices necessary to support students who require differentiated learning experiences.
A report in March 2025 shared
items identified through a review of internal processes related to students with special education
and medical needs within its programs and classrooms. Ongoing action steps are being taken to address the areas requiring our attention as identified
through the review. Find out more on page 108 of the agenda.
K-12 Tiered Mental Health & Wellness Programs
A tiered approach to school mental health allows us to meet the diverse needs of students by
offering the right level of support at the right time. Supports range from universal mental health
promotion for all students (Tier 1), to targeted small group and classroom supports (Tier 2), to
individualized interventions for students with more complex needs (Tier 3). Find out more on page 110 of the agenda.
Celebrating STEM at HPEDSB
HPEDSB began a phased STEM implementation strategy last year by providing STEM carts to all Grade 7 and 8 schools; partnering with Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM) and Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) to align experiential learning with future pathways; and receiving funding from the HPE Learning Foundation to expand coding and robotics. These strategic investments are yielding remarkable results, evident in
significantly increased student engagement and interest in STEM careers. Find out more on page 113 of the agenda.
Calendar of events
Committee and Board meetings are scheduled for the remainder of May and June, along with various school activities. Find out more on page 115 of the agenda.
For more information, please contact Kerry Donnell, Communications and Privacy Manager, 613-966-1170, extension 62354, or 613-847-0696, or [email protected]