Chair's Report
Chair Suzanne Ruttan provided the following report:
“Despite Trustees’ request to the Minister of Education and Public Health to extend masking requirements in schools for two weeks following March Break, and initial concerns with how students, families and staff would transition to the lifting of COVID protocols, school communities are adjusting to the changes. We have experienced many changes throughout the pandemic, and Limestone has done so with empathy and kindness.
Students, staff, and visitors are still expected to screen daily for COVID symptoms and stay home if they are ill. And, as per Public Health guidance, vaccination remains the best defense against COVID-19.
Students and staff may choose to continue to wear masks at times, or consistently for the remainder of the school year. The Ministry has made it clear that masks will be available for students and staff for the balance of this school year. It’s important to support every student’s (and family’s) decision around masking.
Respecting others’ decisions and modeling empathy will help create environments in which all students feel safe.
I think there is a feeling that we are returning to what feels like a more normal existence. The lifting of restrictions has meant that Limestone was able to move forward with the KASSAA finals for Basketball, Volleyball and Hockey this week. Our sincere thanks to all those involved with organizing these finals and to our partner St. Lawrence College for hosting the Basketball and Volleyball finals. Being able to welcome spectators back, has been welcomed by the communities we serve. Congratulations to all finalists, and much appreciation to the volunteers who worked so hard to make this happen. A welcome return to some normal activities, and school spirit has been on full display.
On behalf of all Trustees, I would like to thank those who participated in the Board’s Budget Survey. The information will assist the Board throughout the budget process, which we begin in earnest next month.
The new distribution for trustee representation in the City of Kingston was accepted by the Board tonight as part of the Minutes from the Special EPOC Meeting held March 23rd.
The changes mean an equalization of the electoral population across City districts and creating new groupings of schools to ensure every Trustee represents a high school. This updated distribution with the new areas will be used for the upcoming municipal election October 24. The first day to file a nomination paper for School Board Trustees, the offices of Mayor, and Councilors is Monday, May 2, 2022. The Limestone website will be updated shortly with information to support interested candidates.
And finally, as we await the arrival of spring, and warmer temperatures, I hope students, families, and staff gain much needed energy and optimism as we round the corner to the final months of this school year.
And that concludes my report.”
Director's Report
Director Burra provided the following report:
“Good evening, Trustees and the viewing public. As the viewing public will notice, we have continued to make significant changes to the Boardroom at Limestone. Given the requirement to continue to stream board meetings moving into the future, these changes are being made to improve the sound and visual quality of the experience. In addition, the technical improvements will improve our ability to provide quality, virtual or hybrid, professional learning for staff for years to come. With the adoption of new systems, there are occasional growing pains. As staff become more comfortable and experienced with the new equipment and software, technical issues or concerns should subside.
Given we have met on a weekly basis for several weeks, the agenda this evening includes fewer reports, but several additional minutes from recent meetings. This evening trustees will hear more about the Ontario e-learning consortium, current initiatives in Indigenous Education, and obviously there are several motions on the agenda for discussion and decision.
While COVID-19 continues to impact schools and the world around us, in-person learning, and a range of student activities have successfully continued across Limestone. Planning for 2022-2023 continues and there are lots of examples of great learning occurring in schools daily. I would highlight for trustees that later in April, thanks to the Limestone Learning Foundation, Limestone is hosting two Indigenous speakers to engage virtually with students in the system. On April 25, Sheila Watt- Cloutier will be speaking with students in grades 7-12 focusing on climate change; and on April 28 David Robertson will be speaking with students in grades 3-6 about his book that is part of the LLF Books are Back initiative.
With the provincial direction regarding the easing and removal of some restrictions or protections starting last week, we continue to see change impacting the communities we serve and Limestone schools. As Trustees know, the lifting of restrictions or protections came into effect on March 21 and was met with a range of reactions from students, families, and staff. As we know any form of change can create challenges and we will continue to monitor the impact across Limestone schools. Thus far, we have not seen significant changes in student and staff attendance. However, we have seen a small uptick in student and staff absences in the past couple of school days, but no school to date has hit a 30% threshold of student absences based on illness. That being said, we did contact public health today due to staff absences in one building. This is the first time we have needed to follow up with Public Health regarding absences. At the system level, of the 5 days with the highest number of staff absences in the 8 days prior to the break and 8 days since (16 days total), 3 of the days have been after the break, and 2 were before the break. I would also note from a historical perspective, we did see a couple of similar staff absence numbers in 2019 and 2021 in the two weeks post-March Break. Staffing challenges due to absences have not hit levels we saw prior to the December break, and even at the best of times there is an ebb and flow to staff absences over a week, month, or year. We do continue to see staffing pressures in schools on a regular basis, but thus far we have not seen a dramatic change since the March Break, and this has been an issue throughout this school year. Regarding masking, we have seen many examples of students and staff accepting the personal choices of others related to masking. Given we have only had 8 school days since the provincial changes, we will continue to monitor attendance levels and continue to work with KFL&A Public Health as needed.
As the chair noted, full extracurriculars have resumed in schools and it has been wonderful to see the return of spectators and a revitalization of school spirit related to these activities. I can say personally that I have enjoyed the chance to start seeing my children engage in these activities live after the pause of the past two years. There was a sizeable crowd at St. Lawrence last night watching the basketball finals, just as I am sure there is a good crowd this evening watching the volleyball finals. The changes to public health measures also allow schools to plan for more regular activities in the spring, including graduations.
I think it is fair to say that we need to continue to be mindful of things that we took for granted prior to the pandemic and why so many young people have embraced this return to more normal circumstances. I think it is also important for us to be mindful of changes and innovations that took place during the pandemic that we want to see endure into the future. Limestone is a learning organization, and we must all continue to assess and reflect on the critical work we do to support children and youth in the communities we serve.
That concludes my report.”
Limestone District School Board