The Vancouver School Board’s Policy and Governance Committee met on the evening of Wednesday, February 8, 2023.

Watch the full committee meeting.

The committee began with an update about the Public Interest Disclosure Act, “Whistleblower” Policy. The Act (came into effect on December 1, 2019, with the intended purpose of establishing “whistleblower” protection for all public sector employees. School districts across the province are required to develop and implement a policy and supporting procedures and structures to be compliant with PIDA by December 31, 2023. An initial draft of VSB’s policy was shared at the February 8, 2023, meeting of the Policy and Governance Committee. Feedback received since was incorporated and the trustee committee members approved moving the draft policy to the Board for approval.  

Next on the evening’s agenda was draft Child Care Policy. All School boards are required to establish and implement a child care policy in alignment with the requirements of the Education Statutes Amendment Act and Ministerial Order M326, the Child Care Order. This policy is to be implemented effective July 1, 2023. The committee was provided with an update regarding the policy’s development and informed that feedback received through engagement activities underway, will be considered in development of a final draft of the policy for consideration and adoption by the Board. Stakeholder representatives provided some input to the current draft policy to staff and trustee committee members. The final draft will be shared at the April 5, 2023, Policy and Governance Committee meeting.

The committee also received an update about the Board’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Policy and District’s Administrative Procedure. The committee was informed that extensive work has been underway since the spring of 2022 by staff to update the current policy and AP. The Board’s current policy (Policy 17) was ground breaking in the province’s education system. However, the policy has not been updated in several years and modernization is required to reflect current needs and realities of school communities, including learners who identify of 2SLGBTQIA communities, their families and peers.

The final item on the evening’s agenda was an update about Board Policy 8 Review of Standing Committee Roles and Responsibilities. The committee was informed that there will be a working group of trustees formed to work alongside staff to refine the standing committees and their roles and responsibilities. The committee was also advised that a workshop for stakeholder representatives and trustee committee members would be scheduled, following which a draft update of Policy 8 would be brought back to the Policy and Governance Committee for consideration to advance to the Board for approval.

The next meeting of the Policy and Governance Committee will take place on April 19, 2023.

Keep up to date with the District’s committee and Board meetings; see the calendar for meeting dates, agendas and livestream links. All recordings of meetings are housed on the District’s YouTube channel. Minutes from committee and Board meetings are also posted online.