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Reasons for the RSU endorsement:
Proper 2SLGBTQ+ & Indigenous representation is still sorely lacking in our schools. Let’s stop the cycle of performative gestures and offer real support to Queer and Indigenous artists.
We will be advocating for the commissioning of local artists to make posters for the OCDSB and schools, for a more diverse representation of artists and designers, including members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities. The RSU endorses Keith de Silvia-Legault as an OCDSB School Trustee candidate for Zone 6.
Keith de Silvia-Legault, a 21 year old uOttawa student and mental health advocate, is running for School Trustee. His goals are the following: to advocate on behalf of students, better students' mental health, ensure neurodivergent students are properly served, and demand equity among all schools no matter the wealth of the neighbourhood. With the OCDSB's Board of Trustees meeting today including the motion to involve the Director of Education with the Ottawa Police Services, the RSU finds it vital to address the motion, and make clear to Board and Student Trustees the extreme deficiencies and detriments of this proposal.
The Rideau Students' Union is submitting a delegation to the Board, which will be presented today at the meeting, which is also available below; School board trustee elections are a very overlooked issue that directly affects us students. Low voter participation & awareness enables the election of Trustees such as Donna Blackburn, who is infamous for backing cops in schools and being implicated in a variety of racist incidents. We need to help elect Trustees that care about students, thereby naturally increasing our voice in the process.
What is a board trustee? School board trustees are locally-elected representatives of the public, and they are the community's advocate for public education. Board trustees are elected for all 4 Ottawa school boards to make policy and budget decisions. What do board trustees do? Board trustees:
Why should students care? The decisions of the Board of Trustees affects students directly. School board trustees vote on issues that directly affect the student experience, such as the School Resource Officers Program, and the implementation of public health measures in schools. Trustees have an obligation to act in the students' interests, beyond using the position of trustee as a mechanism to bolster their political careers. When voting for trustees, ask them:
How can students get involved? Youth friendly organization like Horizon Ottawa are pushing to elect pro-student trustees who are in favour of anti-SRO and pro-education reform. Consider getting involved. The RSU will be enduring a slate of pro-student board trustee candidates. Consider volunteering for a pro-student candidate. Consider running for trustee! If you are 18 years old by October 2022, you are eligible to run in the Board Trustee elections! We need more youth voices on the Board! More information on all of these points will be provided at an event on April 16th. We're calling for the OCDSB to freeze Semester 1 grades. For public and mental health. Recently, the TDSB, WRDSB and others implemented a mark freeze for all evaluations from December 17th to the end of the semester, such that marks can increase but not decrease. We believe that the OCDSB needs to implement this same measure of “freezing marks” for the sake of its constituents and of public health.
Therefore, we are calling on the OCDSB to implement an identical mark freezing policy. Why? Absenteeism. This is especially prominent in more COVID-vulnerable communities. Online learning disproportionately affected those who might have learning disabilities or need IEPs More COVID-19 cases means that there is a higher likely hood of staff shortages. More uncertainties to come and further wreck to our learning quality Read our principal points at docs.google.com/document/d/1g3yjKg3uXNG80Kkzp5QTA3DhHUpMf9pDOajBd21Sx44/edit or sign the petition at forms.gle/4jdvrda9KXK6WmQe8 The RSU has released a statement regarding the Province of Ontario's plan for a return to in-person schooling on January 5th, 2022.
The Ontario government's decision to resume in-person learning for students in the province poses a significant risk. As is the case, more time is required to gauge the effect of the outgoing Winter Break on case counts before initiating a full return. Otherwise, our safety as students is jeopardized. Additionally, decisions made in a memo sent last Thursday are of significant concern. Specifically, they promised individuals the option of temporary online learning, without providing school boards the necessary support or clarification to render this feat feasible. The Ministry also announced that they will no longer report COVID-19 cases in schools. The suspension of robust reporting of stats regarding cases in schools bars students and parents from critical information, as the government fails to fulfill its duties in response to the outbreak. Thus, the RSU advocates the delay of regular school operation until AT LEAST January 10th, 2022, with a temporary transition to online learning. The full statement can be viewed online at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mr8BXIhhZHC0YhxE6cj4km2LxgwG0q-87x5pHrUbWus/ By Amy Nguyen, Desmond Anuku, Austin Wang, Jaden Dai, Lefan Hu, Yeeren Chen, Amir Yazdani, Eric Luo, Faiz Jan, Andi Si, Alexander Li, Ammi Paul, Julien Liang, Jadie Leung, Kosar Hemmati, Abel Diress, Ali Kalkas, Antonio Samuna, Cynthia Zhang, William Chen, Vicky Ungariuddanie, and Edward Yang.
This report investigates the Quadmester and Octomester systems and their applications in Ontario high schools, how they affect students' academics, their mental health and possible alternatives to the system that allow for maximum learning while ensuring precautions remain to prevent virus spread during the Coronavirus pandemic. Vice President Diego Grunau talks to Robyn Bresnahan, on her CBC Radio Show 'Ottawa Morning with Robyn Bresnahan', about the March Break and the reasons why students grow concerned by the threat of cancellation or postponement.
Jacquie Miller from the Ottawa Citizen interviews Faiz Jan, the Union President, on the need for maintaining March Break referring to the issues of mental health and scheduling.
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