Wednesday, February 23, 2011
At last night's public meeting, the Edmonton Public School Board approved both the establishment of an Anti-Bullying Advisory committee and the terms of reference for its School Closure Moratorium Committee.
The purpose of the Anti-Bullying Advisory Committee is to provide recommendations for the Administration to consider in addressing bullying in schools. The committee will consist of one Trustee, a member of Edmonton Public Schools' Administration who specializes in this area, a staff member from a school, one junior high student, one high school student, one elementary school parent and one person from the Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities. The committee will bring forward recommendations by May 31, 2011. "Having a Trustee at the table with students, parents and community provides another dimension to this important work," said Board Chair Dave Colburn. "This Advisory Committee will not be an end, but rather the first step for this Board in examining all aspects of bullying and ensuring the most effective response to this unacceptable behaviour."
The main purpose for the Board's School Closure Moratorium Committee is to examine the issues and impacts surrounding school closures and identify ways to keep schools open. The committee, which consists of the Board Chair and Trustees Sarah Hoffman and Heather Mackenzie, will also inform the Board's advocacy efforts, Tri-Level discussions among the Boards of Edmonton Catholic and Edmonton Public Schools, the City and Alberta Education, as well as the Mayor's Task Force on Community Sustainability. "Ongoing dialogue and co-operation among School Boards, the City and the Province are critical to ensuring we have viable schools in vibrant neighbourhoods," stated Colburn. "We're committed to working together to find creative solutions to keep our schools open."
All formal reports presented at last evening's board meeting are available online under the Board of Trustees section of www.epsb.ca. In addition, an archived video copy of the board meeting webcast is available at www.livestream.com/edmontonpublicschools.
Further information, contact:
Cheryl Oxford, Managing Director, Communications
780-429-8043
780-937-7859 - cell
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