Ottawa public school board proposes allowing students without passing grades to participate in graduation
A proposed change to the graduation ceremony policy of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) would see the board switch to equity-based commencement ceremonies and allow for students without passing grades to participate.
- Sign up now for our daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Under the proposed changes to Policy P.038.SCO Graduation and Commencement Ceremonies and Awards, the board would be changing the policy's language to phase out graduation ceremonies in favour of commencement ceremonies.
"The main difference between a commencement ceremony and a graduation ceremony is that a commencement ceremony is more inclusive," the OCDSB in a statement on its website. "This aligns with the Board's larger commitments to equity, inclusion, and diversity."
The board is inviting feedback from the public using an online form between Feb. 2 and March 29.
The ceremonies are said to encompass all students, including those who have historically faced challenges within the education system.
The proposed policy says certain students may not be graduating with the class for various reasons, but that it should not 'preclude' them from celebrating their milestones along with their peers.
In addition, the draft policy on the OCDSB website says student graduation awards, including trophies, medals and other prizes traditionally given at graduation ceremonies would be phased out in favour of achievements, to include a wide variety of student experiences and talent, without being strictly academic. The policy would also remove gender-based distinctions from achievements.
Lynn Scott, chair of the OCDSB board of trustees, defended the policy on 580 CFRA Tuesday, but agrees there is some confusion in the wording of the draft policy.
"I won't disagree with you that the language is confusing," Scott told Graham Richardson on Ottawa at Work.
"Frankly, to say we are giving out achievements doesn’t make much sense. So I think that language is missing a word or two. There will still be awards and there will still be awards that are not strictly academic, like there is now."
Scott says the practice of offering students the ability to walk the stage at graduation who don’t meet the requirements has already been in place at some schools for years, including for those with developmental disabilities or those who may need to take summer courses or an extra year to catch up.
Scott says the policy is meant to bring consistency on graduation policies to all schools.
"The people who have not achieved the diploma are still meeting certain requirements and expectations and I really don’t understand why we wouldn’t include them as well," she said.
Scott says the board is welcoming feedback from the public on the matter and says there will likely be changes to the draft policy.
"We haven’t approved the new policy, it is still open for feedback and I will expect there will be a very hefty debate on where we draw lines on who gets to walk across the stage and who doesn't," she said.
The board's graduation policy has been in place since 1998. The proposal is said to reflect the OCDSB's 2023-27 Strategic Plan, which seeks to revise practices at both the school and system level which disadvantage diverse students.
"Students' educational journeys are diverse, this means that all students’ experiences ought to have the opportunity to be celebrated with their teachers, peers, families, and friends in attendance," said a report presented to the board's ad hoc review committee meeting in February.
The policy will be discussed at the board's next Ad Hoc Policy Review Committee meeting on April 4.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.