Public school board trustees are pushing back a vote on a new accommodation review process to the new year.
Trustees with the Greater Essex County District School Board wanted the public to have more time to give feedback on new ministry of education guidelines updating the review process which can see schools closed. The issue will be back before the board in January.
Superintendent of Accommodations Todd Awender doesn't feel the board jumped the gun in not using the new guidelines for the most recent accommodation review which saw trustees vote to close Harrow District High School.
"The guidelines hadn't been put out yet by the ministry," says Awender. "They were supposed to come out quite some time before they actually did and so we were waiting and waiting and waiting for them. We didn't know how long it was going to be to wait and so we went ahead with the old policy."
Under the new guidelines, consultation of municipal governments and other community partners is required whenever a school board moves into an accommodation review process. In the case of the public board's most recent review, municipal partners were included.
Another of the major changes in the provincial guidelines is a three month minimum time frame for modified accommodation reviews while standard reviews need to be carried out over a minimum five month period.
"Some [guidelines] have been approved already. Most are in draft form right now. In comparing all of those, ours fall really close to what they are as well," says Awender.
The new guidelines are to be available on the public school board's website.
