Pupil Accommodation Reviews


Frequently Asked Questions

1. Question: Who decides whether schools close?

The responsibility is completely within the school board's jurisdiction to make decisions about pupil accommodations, including school closures.

Community members are encouraged to communicate their ideas and concerns to their board in order to have a say in local processes and issues. It is important for the health of local democracy that school boards work with their communities.

2. Question: Can the Ministry of Education overturn a school closure decision?

No, the ministry has no legislative mandate to overturn a school board decision regarding a school closure or to control the decisions of the democratically elected trustees of the board.

3. Question: With the revised guideline being released, is there a moratorium on school closures?

There is no moratorium on pupil accommodation reviews or school closures as a result of the guideline being revised. The revisions to the guideline do not affect past processes and decisions. All Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) processes that are in progress or about to begin will continue under existing policies.

Boards are required to review their current policy and integrate revisions required by the new Pupil Accommodation Review Guideline by March 31, 2010, at the latest. A revised policy must be in place for any pupil accommodation review process announced after September 30, 2009.

4. Question: Who can sign a petition for an Administrative Review?

Any participant in the ARC process can sign a petition. This includes ARC members, people who made presentations to the ARC or people who attended a public meeting and signed the sign-in sheet. More than one family member can sign the same petition.

5. Question: If I don't submit my Administrative Review request using the template format, do I reduce my chances of getting my request approved?

The likelihood of getting your Administrative Review request approved is not dependent on the format of your letter. You can use any style of letter.

Administrative Review approval decisions are based on the requirements outlined in the Administrative Review document, including the board's verification that the people who signed the petition participated in the process or are parents of students at the school.