The J.D. Hodgson parent council is following up with Trillium Lakelands District School Board’s (TLDSB) equity and inclusion task force committee to address concerns local families have raised with a recent student census completed in-class by youth in Grades 7-12.
Chair Andrea Hogan told a parent council meeting March 30 she’ll be writing a letter to TLDSB, while also raising the issue at an upcoming district meeting attended by regional parent council figureheads.
This is in response to the census, completed March 3, where students were asked to answer questions about their first language, Indigenous identity, ethnic origin, race, religious beliefs, gender identity, sexual orientation and their family’s socio economic status.
Philip Primavera and Minna Schleifenbaum, who have three kids enrolled at JDH, have criticized the survey. They were registered speakers at the meeting and asked why the school board needs to know sensitive information about kids. They also expressed concern over the
impact questions may have on them.
Primavera said he wrote a letter to TLDSB in March seeking answers, receiving “a standardized response, which was total dribble.” He followed up twice, asking for specifics on how the board would use the information to improve student learning and has not heard back.
“I think it’s fair to say when something like this is introduced in a school setting, parents deserve a clear, specific explanation,” Primavera said. “I also question how this was done. If the survey was truly voluntary, why was it administered during classroom time instead of being sent home for families to review together?
“If this had been sent home and required a parent’s signature for processing, I believe many families would have taken a closer
look at this,” he added.
Principal David Waito said letters were sent to parents Jan. 31. Parents had until Feb. 12 to opt out. According to TLDSB, only 0.77 per cent of the student body were pulled.
Hogan asked Waito how the survey was administered and how teachers handled students who had been opted out. He said educators went over vocabulary and made sure kids understood all the terms included. It was completed on a Chromebook and took 15-20 minutes, with Waito saying students were also told they could skip any question they felt uncomfortable answering.
Students who didn’t participate had the option of completing other schoolwork or reading, he said.
Schleifenbaum felt the questions were too heavy and wondered if youth as young as 12 were properly equipped, educationally and
emotionally, to interpret them.
One teacher at the meeting said her Grade 8 son took the census and admitted he didn’t know how to answer some of the questions.
“These are not neutral questions. They carry emotional weight and can shape how a child perceives themselves within their school community,” Schleifenbaum said, asking if the board or Waito vetted the survey before it was released. “The school must have approved this… what makes this OK?”
Waito said some of the questions are mandated through Ontario’s Anti-Racism Data Standards – though controversial ones on sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status were recommended, not required.
“We have to do a census every two years,” he said, noting recommended questions come from data TLDSB has deciphered from provincial Right to Read and Dreams Delayed reports, outlining how information about a student’s background can help schools build plans to improve the educational experience for youth from different cultural or ethnic backgrounds or with learning disabilities.
“I’d encourage you to take a look at those documents… because they talk about the importance of different approaches for students with different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds,” Waito said.
Primavera also queried how much had been spent on this census, noting how JDH and Stuart Baker elementary school councils are currently fundraising $300,000 for a new playground. Those pieces of infrastructure are not covered by the Ontario government.
The Highlander asked TLDSB how much the census cost but did not receive a number, only confirmation the district received reimbursement from the province.
“It’s incredible the province is prioritizing this sort of stuff over the physical and mental stimulation a playground provides,”
Schleifenbaum said. “We have our priorities all wrong.”
Hogan said she would report back to parents once she hears from TLDSB.
“I’m looking for answers to some of these questions too,” she said.
