A Voice for Students & Families.

What does Catholic education mean to you, and how would you ensure that the OCSB continues to uphold and strengthen its Catholic identity while providing an inclusive, welcoming and high-quality education for every student?

Catholic education has been central to my family and I as we have all been part of the communities, both in Canada and abroad. The Catholic education promotes the values and spirit we have gained throughout our lives instilling faith, tolerance, humility, compassion and the core desire to always help others and work on improving ourselves in all facets of our lives. I would ensure that the OCSB continues to uphold and strengthen its Catholic identity by listening, engaging, advocating and collaborating with our students, both new and old, families, educators and community partners to ensure we are addressing all needs and concerns.

Our primary goal must be providing our students with the best education possible and ensuring they have the tools and support they need to achieve their goals. This goes hand in hand with our students also having a welcoming and nourishing community where they can socialise, participate in activities and enjoy themselves outside of the core classroom activities. Finally, we must also ensure the well-being of our students by helping each other when in need and giving everyone the opportunity to achieve their very best and have a community within OCSB they cherish and will continue to cherish moving forward in their life journeys.

Families of students with special education needs continue to report barriers to timely supports, accommodations and meaningful inclusion. As a Trustee, what specific changes or priorities would you advocate for to ensure students with special education needs are not left behind and can meaningfully participate in their education and school community?

As a father of a child with special needs, I know and understand the challenges our families face daily in all segments of their lives. There are multiple barriers families face and we need to provide the support and means to overcome them. That is why I believe it is important to listen, engage and work together with our families, educators and community partners to address issues we have, work on solutions and learn from each other.

The goal is to give our children and their families a safe environment where they do not face barriers and where we continuously work on improving what we provide in our schools and to prepare them for when they continue on their new paths upon graduating from our schools. I have been a member of the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) from when I became a trustee and this is how I can further ensure the Board is accountable and that families, educators and partners are heard and that changes can be made.

Online activities can significantly affect students’ well-being, relationships, and learning. With schools increasingly relying on digital platforms, how would you in your role as Trustee work with parents and the broader community to ensure technology decisions prioritize student privacy, data protection, online safety, and age-appropriate use?

I would continue to engage regularly with students and their families, educators, community partners and stakeholders to identify our needs and concerns with the goal of finding a healthy balance between the usage of technology and our students’ well-being. To do this, we need to ensure we provide the framework and support to all involved – where students utilise the technology in a way that promotes their future academic and professional success, while also providing them with guidance in achieving those same goals in other manners – which includes using previous methodologies that their parents leveraged both at school and in the workplace. Our children need to be able to think “outside of the box” in life and I believe the best way is to provide them with an education that takes the best of both systems. Further engagement with other school systems, both in Canada and abroad, can only help to generate ideas and implement those ideas that would be of the greatest benefit to our students.

Working together with stakeholders in IT to ensure we implement the systems required to keep our students safe and protected, along with our community partners and parents to establish what content would contribute to the growth of our students, but also protect them from the adverse effects of social media platforms. Finally, we must also provide our students with alternatives to the heightened usage of technology, which can be done through various sports and engagement activities within the school and community. However, we need to do this as a family with all members on board.

The Ontario government has recently introduced changes affecting the roles and responsibilities of School Board Trustees through Bill 101. How do you see the role of an OCSB Trustee evolving under this new framework, and how would you ensure Trustees continue to provide meaningful local representation, accountability and advocacy?

I wish to be frank and say that I believe the further erosion of the roles and responsibilities of trustees is a mistake. I understand the desire for tighter control by the Minister of Education over school boards may have been driven by the actions of a number of dysfunctional school boards across the province and some irresponsible behaviors by certain individual trustees. However, I believe this has now led to a situation where well-functioning school boards such as the OCSB have been unnecessarily constrained and affected.

From a personal perspective, I can confirm that the recent changes have not in any way changed my desire and determination to continue advocating for students and their families, while of course respecting the current limits placed on trustees by the passing of Bill 101.