With the start of classes on Tuesday, students, parents, and teachers in Windsor-Essex are adapting to more than just new schedules and routines. In June, Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra introduced several new directives, one of which mandates all 72 school boards in the province to establish student and family support offices at the beginning of the school year.
The directors of education in Windsor-Essex, John Ulicny of the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board and Vicki Houston of the Greater Essex County District School Board, discussed the local implementation of these changes with guest host Peter Duck on Windsor Morning. Ulicny emphasized that the purpose of the student family support office is to provide parents with a platform to voice concerns and have them resolved by local school boards. He mentioned that their board already has an effective communication policy in place to address many challenges before they escalate to the level of the student family support office.
The ministry outlined 16 categories that the support offices are expected to handle, including attendance, bullying, curriculum, governance, safe school issues, and transportation. Houston and Ulicny stated that their offices will utilize existing resources and school personnel, as there was no additional funding from the ministry for their establishment.
A significant change coming into effect this fall pertains to student attendance and participation, which will now contribute to 15% of the final mark in Grades 9 and 10, and 10% in Grades 11 and 12. Students with more than two unexcused absences will not qualify for the full 10 or 15 percent. Houston highlighted the importance of understanding the revised definition of an “unexcused absence,” emphasizing that only “principal-excused” absences will be considered valid.
While many new education policies are already in effect, the potential threat of labor disruptions looms over the school year due to stalled contract negotiations for Ontario teachers and education workers. Mario Spagnuolo, the local president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, acknowledged the possibility of disruptions and called for support from families to advocate for investment in public education instead of budget cuts.
Overall, the Windsor-Essex education community is navigating through various changes and challenges as the new school year unfolds.