The Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board agreed to provide a report in early December based on an internal review of the Section 23 program at St. Vincent de Paul. This report has been delayed.
The paper petition, which contains the signatures of only parents of St. Vincent de Paul, was formally presented to the Director of Education of the DPCDSB this past Thursday. It was originally limited by the school board to be a brief meeting. The St. Vincent de Paul community was only allotted 30 mins to submit the petition. The Director of Education spent well over an hour discussing the concerns of parents since it appeared that he did not have a full understanding of the concerns.
Due to the pressure and spotlight that has been placed on this issue, the Ministry of Education has decided to incorporate a review of the Section 23 program as a whole. This is great news! It includes a review of the policy of DPCDSB to include the Section 23 program in active elementary schools. However, this has delayed the report until January.
Since this review now has a significant delay, it is our expectation that several critical issues are fully addressed. In addition to a decision on whether to continue including Section 23 classes in elementary schools, we expect proper definitions, and communication and safety plans of the program.
