Rainbow board restricts videos

Dylan and Anita Gibson, whose son attends Algonquin Road Public School, were banned from the Rainbow District School Board's board office and high schools in early October.

Even if they weren't banned from the board office with a trespassing order, under a new rule, they'd have to get permission before they'd be allowed to videotape at school board meetings, as they'd been doing over the last few years.

Rainbow board trustees passed a motion at their Nov. 27 meeting which restricts the videotaping of school board meetings.

Under the new rule, only members of the media and individuals who have permission from the director of education are allowed to videotape board meetings.

But Dylan, who met with Northern Life at a local restaurant after the board meeting, said he's not jaded. He said he's willing to “bear that cross” if it brings changes to how the board is run.

He said he's hopeful a notice of motion brought forward by trustee Robert Kirwan will be passed at the board's next meeting, which will take place Dec. 18.

The notice of motion suggests Rainbow board meetings be videotaped and posted on the board's website within 24 hours.

“I'm enthusiastic that these problems are actually coming to a discussion point,” he said.

“The majority of the trustees that are in power now have been there for a long time. I think a lot of them haven't really migrated to the 21st century.

“The geography that their school board now encompasses has changed dramatically since a lot of them were elected in. Maybe these discussion points will bring about change in how they deliver their services to parents.”

Dylan points out the Rainbow board has schools as far away as Manitoulin Island and Monetville, making it difficult for parents to attend school board meetings.

The Gibsons began attending school board meetings in the first place after their son's former school, Long Lake Public School, was slated for closure. They were among the parents who led the fight to keep the school open.

Dylan said the minutes of the meetings are sketchy at best, which is the reason he and his wife started videotaping. Dylan said they've never posted recordings of the meetings on the Internet.

The reasons for the trespass order, issued by director of education Norm Blaseg, haven't been explained to him, he said.

He figures the order stems from a conversation he had with trustee Tyler Campbell at the September board meeting, where he questioned Campbell about his remarks regarding Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas' letter-writing skills, and then promised to continue to attend board meetings.

He said it can't be that he and his wife are considered dangerous, as they're still allowed to enter the board's elementary schools.

When asked about the trespass order, Rainbow board chair Doreen Dewar said she can't speak about it. “Absolutely not, because it is a case of privacy,” she said.
The motion regarding videotaping restrictions at Rainbow board meetings received a lot of debate before it was passed.

Trustee Judy Hunda said she supported the motion, despite being a supporter of information technology.

“In an age where I can have playing on my phone or my computer President Obama singing Call Me Maybe seamlessly because bits and pieces have been put together from his speeches, I think that it would be very irresponsible if we weren't just a little bit cautious,” she said.
 

Maybe these discussion points will bring about change in how they deliver their services to parents.

Dylan Gibson,
parent of Algonquin Road Public School student

“That being said, if this was a board that did as a practice tape our meetings ourselves, where we would always have a clean and a backup copy, it would certainly alleviate my fears.

“However, we are not. I understand this was looked into, and it would be quite cost-prohibitive. Quite frankly I would rather see money got towards something that is going to more directly impact on students than on something like this.”

Hunda said she didn't know where this would inhibit the board's transparency as members of the public are welcome to attend board meetings and the minutes are posted on the board's website.

Campbell, who also supported the motion, said even the Ontario legislature bans videotaping from the public gallery.

“Granted, they do have a public recording branch that does take care of that, but the key element of that is they manage that content on behalf of the Ontario legislature,” he said.

“They do have full recorded proceedings, as we do through the minutes.”
In the end, only Kirwan and trustee Dena Morrison voted against the measure.
Kirwan said the motion gives the impression that the school board has something to hide.

He said he's also not sure the comparison with the Ontario legislature holds water, as the hansard records “every single word and grunt,” and the proceedings are publicly broadcast.

Kirwan said it's also difficult to define who the media is, in this day and age.

“Anybody with a blog, anybody who wants to declare that they're a freelance writer, can declare that they're part of the media.”

He said the board should be videotaping its own meetings and posting it on its website within 24 hours.

Kirwan also addressed the Gibsons' situation.

“If we only had one or two people here, and those were the only people who were taping it, and they happen to be from the Long Lake Public School, that was closed, and they were disgruntled, then the perception to the public is, 'If you disagree with what the board does, look at what we can do.'”

Morrison did not speak about her reasons for voting against the videotaping restrictions motion during the meeting.

But in an interview with Northern Life after the meeting, she said she thinks the board should be videotaping its own meetings, as long as it's affordable.

“It's always technically possible, but it's the cost,” Morrison said. “I'm not so sure we can absorb that cost without impacting student programs.”

Kirwan, however, questions the idea that videotaping board meetings would cost too much.

“You're not saying bring in a camera crew,” he said. “It's bringing one IT person up here, and recording. That can't be cost-prohibitive.”

Prompted by the Gibsons' situation, Kirwan also brought forward a motion which stated the board should approve “all notices of trespass that are issued by the director to a parent of a student enrolled with the Rainbow District School Board.”

The motion was defeated, as he was the only trustee to vote in favour of it.

Blaseg said he wouldn't speak about any specific trespass notice, but emphasized it's clearly his responsibility, along with principals, to investigate threats to student safety and issue trespass notices.

He said if he had to report to the board, it could take weeks for notices to be issued.

Morrison said she would not support the motion because it would undermine board staff's ability to protect students' safety.

Kirwan, however, said the motion wouldn't prevent Blaseg or a principal from issuing a trespass notice.

“All I'm saying is if it involves one of our students, I want the director to bring it to the board so the board can approve it, or say 'We think we'd rather you rescind that notice.'”