Policy/Program Memorandum 170
Date of Issue: June 6, 2024
Effective: Start of the 2024/25 school year
Subject: School board communication with parents
Application:
Directors of Education
Supervisory Officers and Secretary-Treasurers of School Authorities
Principals of Elementary Schools
Principals of Secondary Schools
Director of Education, Consortium Centre Jules-Léger
Introduction
The purpose of this memorandum is to outline requirements and provide direction to school boards on communication with parents
By establishing standardized guidelines, the Ministry of Education enhances communication and the overall engagement between parents and school boards.
School boards are required to:
- provide parents with information to support their active engagement in their child’s education.
- develop and comply with a protocol setting out standards for acknowledging and responding to parent inquiries.
This memorandum applies in respect of parents of children enrolled in publicly funded elementary and secondary schools.
Legislative authority
Paragraph 27.3 of subsection 8 (1) of the Education Act provides the Minister of Education with the authority to establish a policy governing board communications with parents and require boards to comply with such a policy.
Context
In Ontario’s education system, all partners acknowledge the positive impact of parent engagement on student achievement. Students are supported and inspired to learn in a culture of high expectations in which parents:
- are welcomed, respected and valued by the school community as partners in their child’s learning and development
- have choices about how to be involved in the educational community to support student success
- are engaged through ongoing communication and dialogue with other educational partners to support a positive learning environment at home and at school
- are supported with the information and tools necessary to participate in school life
Parent engagement includes:
- providing a positive learning environment at home, actively working with children to support what they are learning in school and making learning an important part of the day
- having conversations with teachers so that there is clear communication between the school and the home
- becoming involved in school activities and volunteering to help with school events, trips and other activities
- participating in a school council at the school level and parent involvement committee (PIC) at the school board level, to provide perspective
When parents feel connected and informed, they are more likely to be actively involved in their child’s learning. Increased involvement strengthens the parent-school partnership, fostering a sense of community and shared responsibility for the child's education. By responding promptly and effectively to parent inquiries, school boards, and educators can positively influence and encourage parent engagement. Parents develop confidence in the school board and school's ability to meet their child's educational needs when they feel that their inquiries are acknowledged and addressed.
Requirements for School Boards
Parent Information
School boards must make parents of students enrolled in publicly funded schools aware of the information available to them to support their active involvement in their child’s education, and how to access it. This information must be made publicly available on the school board’s website. Information on school board websites must, at minimum, reflect the information outlined in the Ministry of Education’s Your child’s education: A parent guide to our school system.
At a minimum, school boards must ensure parents are aware of this information and how to access it:
- upon registration of a new pupil.
- at the start of each school year.
School boards should also:
- communicate directly with its PIC chair/co-chairs and chair/co-chairs of each of its school councils on where to access this information and encourage its PIC and school councils to communicate this information to their parent communities.
- provide the information in various formats and languages.
- ensure the information on the school board’s website is reviewed and updated regularly.
Communication Protocol for Responding to Parent Inquiries
School boards must develop, and comply with, a protocol that sets out standards for acknowledging and responding parent inquiries. The protocol must include the components set out below.
Protocol Components
School boards must include the following components in their communication protocol:
- Purpose/Objective: an overview of the communication protocol/procedure, including intended goals and outcomes.
- Process: the step-by-step process school boards will take in acknowledging and responding to parent inquiries about matters pertaining to their child’s education, and information about the types of inquiries parents can have addressed at the:
- Classroom level
- School level
- Board level
- Timelines and Report Back: expected timelines for an acknowledgement and response. At minimum, boards must ensure the acknowledgement of a parent inquiry within 2 business days. Boards shall make best efforts to provide an estimated date of response if a parent inquiry cannot be fully addressed within 5 business days of receipt.
School boards should also take action to ensure that responses to parent inquiries:
- are conducted in a clear manner that is easily understood by a parent.
- include relevant and accurate information that addresses the specific inquiry.
School boards may also wish to outline any relevant policies, procedures, or regulations that may apply to the situation, ensuring transparency and accessibility.
Communications protocols may include special procedures, including procedures that deviate from the guidance above, to address parent inquiries that are threatening, abusive, or otherwise inappropriate.
Development and Monitoring
In developing and reviewing its communication protocol, school boards are encouraged to consult broadly with parent organizations, for example, PIC, school councils, Indigenous Education Council, Special Education Advisory Committee, as well as representative organizations such as the board’s equity and access body, and community organizations, to identify the diversity of parent needs.
School boards are encouraged to conduct regular reviews of their protocols and make updates as necessary.
Implementation
Any existing school board policies or guidelines related to communication with parents must be in accordance with this memorandum. The ministry recognizes that there may be differences in approaches and implementation at the local level.
School boards are required to post the protocol on their public website and must make parents aware of the protocol and how to access it:
- upon registration of a new pupil.
- at the start of each school year.
The requirements set out in this memorandum take effect at the start of the 2024-25 school year.
This PPM, and the communication protocols made pursuant to it, shall not be interpreted as to impose requirements on board employees that are inconsistent with the Education Act, regulations, or collective agreements. Where any direction of the PPM or a communications protocol conflict with these requirements, the applicable laws and collective agreement provisions prevail.
School Board Reporting
In accordance with paragraph 27.1 of subsection 8(1) of the Education Act, school boards may be required to report to the Minister of Education, upon implementation and upon request thereafter, on their activities to achieve the requirements outlined in this memorandum.
Footnotes
- footnote[1] Back to paragraph In this memorandum, parent(s) refers to parent(s) and guardian(s).