The Upper Grand District School Board is the first school board in the province to include a pregnancy and parental leave for school board trustees in the board bylaws.
UGDSB trustees approved the revised bylaws at a Special Board Meeting held on July 23. The revised bylaws will come into force with the new board of trustees on Dec. 1.
In May 2017, the government of Ontario passed legislation that made changes to municipal governance in the province. As part of Bill 68, school boards and municipalities are required to have a policy in place that provides pregnancy/parental leave for trustees by March 1, 2019.
Under the new UGDSB bylaws, a trustee is not required to seek approval for a pregnancy/parental leave lasting 20 consecutive weeks or less.
This includes leaves that are a result of the trustee’s pregnancy, the birth of the trustee’s child or the adoption of a child by the trustee.
Additional changes to the bylaws included revising terms so they are clear and consistent, the addition of gender neutral language and ensuring the bylaws reflect the current operations of the board of trustees.
As a next step, trustees will develop an official board policy on pregnancy/parental leave for school board trustees.
