Here’s a quick look at stories and resources related to education law that made headlines in the past few months.
When it comes to COVID matters, educators continue to raise concerns about the long-term impact of the pandemic on children and their education, and some specifically wonder what hybrid schooling means for children with exceptionalities. As online learning becomes part of the new normal, you might be interested in reading what the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has to say about children’s rights in relation to the digital environment. In less fraught classroom innovations, food literacy may be coming to Ontario schools if Bill 216 manages to wind its way through the legislative process.
With recent changes to school governance structures in other provinces, TVO’s The Agenda asked whether elected trustees are passé. In other school board governance news, inclusion in Catholic school boards made headlines with decisions around whether to fly the Pride flag or not during the month of June. For those seeking resources around gender identity and gender expression in schools, researchers from Queen’s University and University of Ottawa have launched an online resource for students, families, and educators, complete with a unicorn mascot.
At the intersection of education and criminal law, the proceedings in R v Mills continue. Nicholas Mills is accused of criminal negligence related to the drowning of 15-year-old Jeremiah Perry during a school camping trip in Algonquin Park in 2017. In light of two criminal cases in Eastern Ontario, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection is calling for a rethink of how allegations of sexual misconduct by educators are handled.
Please log in to read the full article.