The silence of the trustees: Gay rights case highlights boards' strict media policies

Ottawa Catholic School Board Chairman Ted Hurley did not speak directly to the media
during the recent controversy over two Grade 6 students' project on gay rights.

The election of Andrea Steenbakkers to the Ottawa Catholic School Board in October — more than a month after she dropped out of the race —  was a worrying sign that the public is not paying attention to school boards.

More worrying still: Some board communications practices seem designed to keep it that way.

At a time when newly elected trustees are joining school boards across Ontario and tough issues such as school closures and separate school funding are on the horizon, many school boards are limiting media access to trustees in a way the public would never accept if they were city councillors or members of Parliament.

The tightening control over to whom elected trustees talk has come under fire across Canada recently. Some worry the trend is further eroding public engagement in education, one of the big money and high priority portfolios of the provinces.  (more...)

The silence of the trustees: Gay rights case highlights boards' strict media policies

Boardroom, or ghetto?

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Some break their fetters:

Trustee breaks silence