Friday, Nov. 17, 2023

The following are the highlights of the Near North District School Board (NNDSB) meeting of Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023.

Board Chair re-elected, Vice-Chair acclaimed 

At its annual organizational meeting (held prior to the regular Board meeting), Trustee Erika Lougheed was re-elected to the position of Chair of the Board, and Indigenous Trustee Ashley St. Pierre was acclaimed as the Vice-Chair.

For more information, see this media release.

Five-year accessibility plan presented

The board’s five-year accessibility plan was presented to trustees. A report in the agenda package noted the accessibility plan was outdated, and a staff committee was struck to develop an updated plan.

A draft plan was shared with a number of NNDSB stakeholders, including Board committees, Indigenous Youth Circle, Student Senate, school council chairs, the special education team and union partners.

NNDSB has responsibilities under the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) that ensure equitable access to its buildings, programs, services, policies and resources for all students, families, employees and members of the public who make up the NNDSB community.

The plan, which covers the years 2023-2028, lists objectives, actions/outcomes and implementation schedules in the areas of employment, customer services, information and communication, physical environment, transportation.

Math achievement action plan presented to trustees

The board shared its 2023-2024 math achievement plan with trustees. The plan is a result of provincial student achievement priories and metrics aimed at helping students improve Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) scores in reading, writing and math.

The report notes that on the Sept. 29 professional development day, school teams met to select school strategies to support each of the three priority actions. School administrators have determined several actions they will take in their schools to support educator content knowledge, assessment and planning. At the system level, the board is implementing key digital resources assessment and planning tools, and professional learning to ensure coherence and alignment of math priorities across all schools.

Plans made for bullying awareness week

Trustees were made aware of the initiatives underway in the board for bullying awareness and prevention week, taking place Nov. 20-24.

A report to trustees outlined that content for the week spotlights aspects of the board’s safe schools framework and incorporates lessons, resources and activities that challenge students to think about how their actions could cultivate safety in their classrooms, schools and communities.

Though activities differ for elementary and secondary students, the focus will be on citizenship and community, conflict resolution, pink shirt day and online safety.

The full report, and links to more initiatives can be found here.

Draft version of Director’s Annual Report presented

A draft version of the Director’s Annual Report was included in the agenda package for trustees.

The document outlines the progress that was made in the second year of the multi-year strategic plan (MYSP). The annual report provides details on progress made in all four areas of the MYSP – excellence in communications, excellence in relationships, excellence in teaching and learning and excellence in innovation.

Relationships highlighted in Director’s update

In his update, Director of Education Craig Myles spoke about the MYSP pillar of excellence in relationships, and highlighted the NNDSB initiative with local First Nations and the North Bay Battalion.

For three years, NNDSB has partnered to coordinate Indigenous Youth Day, for which Indigenous youth are encouraged to be proud of who they are and share this pride with others . This year, the Proud to Be Me! Indigenous Youth Day was held in coordination with Every Child Matters on Oct. 29. Funds were raised to cover the cost of 2,100 tickets and the game was fully sold out.

Tender awarded for fencing around Chippewa

Trustees approved a recommendation that NNDSB award tender 2024-001 for new fencing at Chippewa Secondary School in the amount of $611,000 plus HST.

The fencing is an additional security measure to address health and safety concerns at the school.

Work will be done to minimize disruption to school operations. Non-disruptive work will be considered for completion during the school day and disruptive work will take place after hours or on weekends.

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Note: the full agenda package is posted on the website prior to meetings, and official minutes are posted after they are approved at the next Board meeting.