Toronto District School Board updates

The Board webcasts its meetings to the public. Due to the pandemic, the Board has also moved to conducting all standing committee meetings virtually, which can be watched live. You can find out the dates of the meetings and watch them at tdsb.on.ca/Leadership/Boardroom/Live-Webcast-of-Meetings

Strategy to Address City Growth

In June 2018, the Board approved the Strategy to Address City Growth and Intensification to increase the TDSB’s role in the municipal planning process to better serve school communities and to ensure the city considers TDSB’s infrastructure needs.

The strategy consists of:

  1. Effecting change within the Municipal Policy-Making Process
  2. Representation at the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (LPAT)
  3. Greater participation in the city’s Development Application and Approval Process
  4. Effecting Change within the Provincial Policy, Funding and Regulatory Context

The Board of Trustees approved that staff:

  1. Ensure planning policy documents reflect the TDSB’s interests in terms of school accommodation as a component of a complete community. To adhere to the principle that development should not happen without ensuring there is adequate school accommodation
  2. Ensure future development proposals factor in school accommodation
  3. Ensure we get resources from proponents of development to enable school accommodation
  4. Work to minimize negative impacts from developments close to school sites
  5. Meet with development proponents early in the planning process to ensure school accommodation needs are met

In April 2022, the Board of Trustees approved a motion that directed staff to update the strategy due to the intensification of development in the city.

Pandemic Recovery Plan Update

The Pandemic Recovery Plan Update (a motion I am proud to have introduced) came to the Board last month. The work is centred around two overall goals: developing a sense of belonging and eliminating disproportionate outcomes for students.

Specific areas of focus are:

  • Mental health and well-being
  • Early reading enjoyment and fluency
  • STEM achievement trajectories from Grade 4 to Grade 9
  • Pathways to post-secondary education
  • Learning recovery

Mental Health and Well-being

Examples of resources available across the system include:

  • Resources for students, parents and caregivers and school communities, including culturally responsive resources, Black Mental Health Resources, and the mental health and well-being website.
  • Students4WellBeing: a high school student-led group, co-facilitated by the System Leader and Mental Health Leads that supports mental health literacy learning, capacity building.
  • 2022-23 Resources for ALL Grades: Mental Health and Heritage Month Virtual Lounges, Mental Health and Well-Being Tool kits, Resources for Grief and Loss, Substance Use/Abuse, and Culturally Responsive Community Resources throughout Toronto.

These resources can be found on the TDSB website at tdsb.on.ca.

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