Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board

Board Meeting Summary, February 26, 2024

Posted on 02/26/2024

This is a summary of the public meeting of the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board, held February 26, 2024. Official minutes will be approved at the next regular meeting.

 

Presentation: Supporting students with Blind/Low Vision, Deaf and Hard of Hearing services

This presentation shared the various resources and equipment available to support student learning. The presenters, Student Services Coordinator Glenda McComb and Educational Assistant Susan Lammes, offered insights and successes from this school year. For example, Susan is trained in Braille and beyond that, is able to assist students to step out of their comfort level to access regular technology, such as using a keyboard. 

Thank you to presenters Susan Lemmes, Educational Assistant, Prince Edward Collegiate Institute (centre) and Glenda McComb, Student Services Coordinator (right); pictured with Katherine MacIver, Director of Education (left).

Acknowledgement of Traditional Lands

Julia Webster, Student Trustee, Eastside Secondary School, offered the Land Acknowledgement.

Rise and report from Committee of the Whole

Board members approved the terms of the local collective agreement between Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board and Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation District 29 Teacher and Occasional Teacher Bargaining Unit for the period of September 1, 2022, to August 31, 2026.

Board members approved  the appointment of Bryce Wilson, as Superintendent of Business Services, effective March 11, 2024. 

Pictured: Bryce Wilson, new Superintendent of Business Services, effective March 11, 2024.

Report from external organizations

Ontario Public School Board Association (OPSBA)

This report provided updates about the following:

• Participation in the Public Education Symposium at the end of January.
• OPSBA awards nominations are open until April 5, 2024.
• Spring regional meeting in Kingston in early April.
• Next Board of Directors meeting is next week in Toronto.

Food for Learning: January 18, 2024

Highlights from this report included the following:

• New Safe Food Handling training is available online for Food for Learning volunteers.
• Feed the Meter campaign raised $51,000 for FFL.

Standing Committee reports

Governance and Policy Committee: February 2024

Policy 11: Indemnification of Board Members

Board members approved Policy 11: Indemnification of Board Members. With this approval, Policy 3-I will be revoked. 

Find out more starting on page 18 of the February 26, 2024 agenda.

Policy 8: Board Communications and Media Relations

Board members approved Policy 8: Board Communications and Media Relations. With this approval, Policy 3-D will be revoked.

Board members also rescinded a motion passed on November 27, 2023, which was: “That the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board of Trustees do not have individual Trustee social media accounts.” 

 Find out more starting on page 20 of the February 26, 2024 agenda.

Advocating for a National School Food Program

Board members approved sending a letter to the federal government advocating to include funding for a National School Food Program in the federal Budget 2024. 

Find out more starting on page 25 of the February 26, 2024 agenda.

Student Learning, Well-being and Equity Committee: February 5, 2024

Highlights from this report included the following:

• Math Achievement Action Plan update, including the digital tools available to educators and students.
• Early reading screener selection and implementation process.
• School year calendar update.
• Student Services update about restructuring behavioural support services.
• Information about the social media mass tort process and implications.
• Information about the innovative, new Travel for Credit program.

Physical Planning, Finance and Building Committee: February 12, 2024

Highlights from this report included the following:

• Review of the building renewal project plan.
• Projections for student enrolment for the 2024-2025 school year.
• Review of budget risks.
• Public consultation on budget priorities.
• Budget planning and process.
• No change to bell times for three North Hastings schools.
• HPEDSB has a low percentage of accumulated surplus, meaning the funding is being being spent as intended. 

Statutory Committee reports

Parent Involvement Committee, February 21, 2024

Highlights from this report included the following:

• Presentation about the SafeArrival app and use.
• Update about Parent Reaching Out grant applications, with 25 approved for approximately $1,000 each.
• Review of the proposed school year calendar dates.
• Information about the innovative, now Travel for Credit program.

Special Education Advisory Committee: January 25 and February, 22, 2024

Highlights from this report included the following:

• Review of the new Individual Education Plan document. 
• Review of EQAO data.
• Welcomed a new SEAC member.
• School year calendar planning process and options.
• Special Education Plan Part 2. Part 3 will be presented at the March SEAC meeting.
• Update from the Mental Health Committee.
• Information about the event on March 5, Transition to Kindergarten, for families of students with special needs.

Supervised Alternative Learning Committee: February 15, 2024

Highlights from this report included the following:

• Some students do not function well in regular day school, so Supervised Alternative Learning is an option.
• Student Success lead teachers meet with school teams to brainstorm how to best serve these students.
• 21 students were approved for SAL.

Advisory Committee reports

Indigenous Education Advisory Committee: January 23 and February 13, 2024

Highlights from this report included the following:

• Continuing to work on developing a community partner model, with the intention of the partners and educators collaborating on Indigenous Education offerings.

Student Voice Plan 2023-2024

Highlights from this report included the following:

• Working to establish Student Voice committees in each secondary schools.
• Asked students to provide feedback on the vaping problem in school bathrooms; more to come.
• Planning the Student Voice Conference set for April 26 at the Education Centre. Participation will include 8-10 students from each secondary school. 

Chair's report

Highlights from this report included the following:

• Attendance at the Public Education Symposium at the end of January.
• Participation in a knowledge-building trustee retreat last week, where trustees learned about governance-related topics, including asking meaningful questions and how to come to consensus, with presenter Marion Thomson Howell.
• Attendance at a fundraiser for a Central Hastings School drama performance.

Director's report

• Welcome to Superintendent Tina Jones. Tina joins the senior team from her role as a system lead at the Education Centre and with many years of experience in HPEDSB schools and classrooms.

• Welcome to new Communications Officer Mary Doyle. Mary is a longtime HPEDSB employee and we are excited to have her skills and knowledge join the communications team!

• Innovative summer programming is available to HPEDSB students: Travel for Credit is an opportunity for students to earn credits and travel for eight days.

• Congratulations to Centennial SS Emma Little, Grade 12 for receiving the OSSTF Student Achievement Award for her mixed media drawing “From Letters to Likes.” Emma is being interviewed and filmed by OSSTF to be highlighted at the provincial gathering. She'll also receive $1,000 and a plaque.

• Shared by Trustee Speck: Our new Dual Credit program in North Hastings was featured in Bancroft This Week on February 2.

• The Hilly Hundred is donating $5,000 to North Hastings High School to resurrect the Mountain Bike Club at NHHS. The Hilly Hundred is a local bike ride throughout the Bancroft area.

• The Student Achievement Plan template has been received from the Ministry of Education. Board data will be posted online by April 2. More to come on this at the next Board meeting. 

• Participation at a recent cross-municipal Hastings County planning meeting regarding the full solar eclipse on April 8. As you know, we have moved a PA Day to April 8. Of note is the increased tourism and traffic that is anticipated that weekend and day, with perhaps a 50% increase in population. Traffic following eclipse expected to be heavy. Municipalities and emergency services are co-planning. More to come regarding staff on this day. This event is a valuable learning opportunity and resources are being shared with schools. HPEDSB will not distribute glasses nor providing instruction to build any materials to safely look at the eclipse as watching is something that should be supervised by an adult for children and youth.

• Attendance at the Community Safety and Well-being Plan Working Group Advisory Committee on February 6 and I was eager to bring the voice of K-12 education to the table. This came about as a result of a Community Partner Breakfast from last fall. Other meeting I have had were with the CAO of Prince Edward County; Belleville Chamber of Commerce Breakfast; CEO for Tri-Board Student Transportation Services Jeremy Dacosta; EF Tours and a visit to Harry J. Clarke Public School.

HPEDSB Staff reports

Mid-year Strategic Plan update 

This presentation by senior staff provided updates on mid-year progress of strategic plan actions. Operationally, staff identified academic priorities to raise the bar for each student in reading, mathematics and credit accumulation.

Progress has been made in a number of identified priorities including the following:

• New tools to support analysis of early literacy development and mathematics.
• New program opportunities to increase credit accumulation.
• Mental health literacy.
• Skilled trades development.
• Staff recruitment, support, development and capacity building.

Find out more starting on page 29 of the February 26, 2024 agenda.

Find out more starting on page 40 of the February 26, 2024 agenda.

Boundary Review Ad Hoc Committee

In May 2023, following the approval of the Long Term Capital and Accommodation Plan in February, a process was initiated to collect public feedback regarding enrolment pressures and available space in HPEDSB.

Following a 3-month public consultation process, Board members approved two recommendations, one for the Harmony-Foxboro area and another for the Bayside-Trenton area, as follows:

1. Board members approved the recommended changes for the Bayside-Trenton Attendance Area to direct Frankford Public School English students from Bayside Secondary School to Trenton High School for Grade 9 as of September 2025 with an option for any current Grade 8 students at Frankford Public School to attend Trenton High School in September 2024. 
2. Board members approved the recommended changes for the Harmony-Foxboro Attendance Area as follows:

• Northwest of Moira River redirected from Harmony Public School to Foxboro Public School.
• North of the 401 between Front St. and Sidney St. redirected from Harmony Public School to Susanna Moodie Elementary School.
• West of Wallbridge-Loyalist Rd., but capturing Chatterton Valley Crescent redirected from Foxboro Public School to Susanna Moodie Elementary School.

as of September 2025. Existing Grades 7s and 8s enrolled that reside within these areas at the time of implementation (September 2025) would be given the option to continue in their current school without interruption until they are ready to move to high school. 

Find out more starting on page 43 of the February 26, 2024 agenda.

Calendar of events

Several school events, committee and Board meetings are scheduled for the remainder of January and into February. 

Find out more starting on page 83 of the February 26, 2024 agenda.

• April 22, 2024
• May 27, 2024
• June 17, 2024

For more information, please contact Kerry Donnell, Communications and Privacy Manager, 613-966-1170, extension 62354, or 613-847-0696, or [email protected]