Halton school board to vote on new professionalism policy

UPDATE: The Halton school board tells CHCH News that this issue is listed on the agenda for action to vote on Apr. 26, 2023.

The Halton District School Board (HDSB) is set to vote on a newly developed professionalism policy. A meeting will take place Wednesday evening and the board will review the feedback from community members. This follows the controversial attire of an Oakville teacher whose photos went viral.

READ MORE: Halton school board includes community on staff dress, decorum policy

Over 8,500 people including staff, students, school councillors, and community members were asked for feedback on the board’s professionalism policy which is roughly one page in length.

The policy states: “It is the responsibility of staff to provide students with a ‘safe, caring, equitable and inclusive learning environment free from distractions’ and to ‘teach and model positive behaviour and good citizenship.'”

A high school in Halton became the focus of international attention back in Sept. 2022 after pictures of a shop teacher went viral online and protests followed. For months, parents called for a staff dress code, but a professionalism policy was developed by the board instead.

READ MORE: Halton school board developing policy on staff dress and Decorum

Over the past couple of months, the board gathered feedback on the policy. The findings were summarized in a more than sixty-page report.

Some of the main points include: “Dress codes are disproportionately used to monitor the physical appearance of females and other groups and results in discriminatory practices.” And, “staff have to be a role model for students and a dress code has no bearing on someone’s ability to teach well.”

Some suggest the policy is not needed at all, saying it represents the board’s response to a small group of steak holders with vocal concerns, and adding that implementing a dress code is very outdated.

READ MORE: Halton school board orders dress code after teacher’s controversial attire

The consultation findings from the board also found that 63 per cent of those surveyed indicated their overall impression of the new policy was positive.