School board rethinks new rule requiring police checks

A proposed policy the would require Toronto parents to undergo a police check to volunteer on a school field trip or help out at a fun fair will be revised, after an outcry from families that the new measures would affect parent participation.

At their meeting last week, Toronto District School Board trustees sent the policy back to committee, giving staff time to hold consultation sessions with the board’s parent involvement advisory group (PIAC) as well as the special education advisory committee (SEAC), over the next week and a half.

“The plan is to form a focus group of PIAC and SEAC representatives,” said Trustee Pam Gough, who expects to be a part of the discussions.

“Details will be worked out, and we’ll be listening carefully for ways to ensure that all students in the system are safe . . . but also developing a procedure with flexibility so as not to exclude good-hearted people who want to work as volunteers in a casual capacity.”

Once revised, the new procedure will be brought before a committee — probably in May or June — where members of the public can speak to trustees about the changes before they are formally approved to begin this fall.

Currently, anyone who volunteers in a Toronto school on an ongoing basis must submit a police check a check every five years, which will be changed to every three. That’s not what parents are contesting.

Some are, however, upset about having to obtain a police check for a one-time event such as a pizza lunch or field trip.

Such a policy would discourage parents from taking part in school life, critics say.

Adding to the problem is the months-long delay for police checks in Toronto.