Highlights from the September 10 UCDSB of Trustees Meeting

Brockville – Trustees with the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) met on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. Key items discussed in the public session are as follows.

Board Welcomes 2025-2026 Student Trustees

Student Trustees Allison Gibson from Rideau District High School and Alexander Moussa from Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School publicly signed and verbally stated their declaration and oath of allegiance.

Chosen by members of the Student Senate in February 2025, the pair will participate in regular UCDSB Board of Trustees Meetings, offering succinct reports to the Board of their activities as Student Trustees. They also assume the roles of Chair and Vice-Chair of the Student Senate. They are given the opportunity to attend conferences organized by the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association – l’Association des élèves conseillers et conseillères de l’Ontario (OSTA-AECO).

Both trustees are enthusiastic and ready to begin providing the student perspective at the Board table.

Parent Involvement Committee and SDG Library Partnership Update

UCDSB Superintendent of Schools, Casey Nelson, highlighted a new partnership between the Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry (SDG) Library and the UCDSB Parent Involvement Committee (PIC). Announced during the PIC presentation on May 21, 2025, the collaboration is focused on strengthening parent engagement and enhancing student achievement and wellness by securing free and accessible resources for children, teens, and their parents and caregivers.

The purchase of over 450 titles funded by the UCDSB is being distributed by the SDG Library to 15 branch locations and is available through the SDG Library website. The collection offers valuable resources focused on key topics such as mental wellness, addiction awareness, health and nutrition, emotional and social development, and post-secondary support. The collection includes both fiction and non-fiction titles, with a strong emphasis on supporting Canadian authors.

Nelson noted that this important partnership reflects shared values of education, wellness, and lifelong learning.

New Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education Policy Approved by Board

Executive Superintendent of Human Resources and School Operations Chris Boulay and Josh Harrison, System Principal of Safe Schools, presented a draft policy developed by the UCDSB in line with Erin’s Law.

Erin’s Law (Bill 123) was passed by the Ontario Legislature in December 2024 (Royal Assent: December 19, 2024) and officially came into force on September 1, 2024. It amends the Education Act, adding a new section (170.0.1) that mandates child sexual abuse prevention and reporting, as well as training, in schools.

The policy directs the implementation of age-appropriate, evidence-informed education on child sexual abuse prevention for all students from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

The policy was passed unanimously, making the UCDSB a leader in the province in moving this initiative forward. The next steps are to provide training and resources to staff, and to build awareness with parents, guardians and students of the resources available.

View the full policy here. 

Full details on presentations, reports, and discussions can be found in the agenda or reviewed in the recorded broadcast.