The goal of education is student success during the learning years and later in life. This goal can only be achieved in a learning environment where students feel safe and welcome and do not experience discrimination due to personal characteristics that are protected by the Ontario Human Rights Code.
In promoting the inherent dignity of every student, and in alignment with the Ontario government’s recognition that “the work must be ongoing to ensure that our schools continue to provide caring, inclusive, safe, and accepting environments that support the achievement and well-being of every student”, the Durham Catholic District School Board will continue to advance equitable and inclusive education.
Goals and Strategies
- Enhance and extend capacity development for addressing human rights-related issues through more focused, relevant, and co-constructed training to build capacity for all board staff
- Amplify student voice and improve student capacity to address human rights- and equity-related discrimination (e.g., Student Human Rights Conference; consultation with secondary school student groups)
- Implement the DCDSB Human Rights Concern/Complaint Resolution Process system-wide
- Address issues relevant to marginalized groups through an Equity Invitational Learning Series for the DCDSB community (i.e., staff, students, parents/guardians/caregivers, community partners)
- Showcase the equity initiatives and programs in the board for increased awareness among all stakeholders, and engagement/participation among students
- Conduct a Workforce Census in October 2024
- Use disaggregated data from the Student Demographic Survey and the Workforce Census to inform resource allocation, appropriate programming, and required policy review
- Use data from the Workforce Census related to Ontario Human Rights Code-specific demographics to improve representation for marginalized employees