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In light of the public health situation, the Parent Involvement Committee meetings for the 2020-21 school year will be held virtually. Members of the public can participate in the meetings by watching the live-stream and by submitting public questions electronically to [email protected]. Questions must be submitted during the scheduled meeting time between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Click here to view the live-stream for the Jan. 21 PIC meeting. The live-stream broadcast will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 21. Note: In the browser, click on 'Watch on Web instead'.
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PRO Grant applications from School Councils will be received and reviewed for consideration by PIC. Deadline to submit applications has been extended to Jan. 22, 2021 by 4 p.m. More information is available on the School Councils page.
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A statement from the Parent Involvement Committee co-chairs regarding the Ministry of Education's report on Peel District School Board's Review.
The Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) is a committee made up of parents, community members, trustees, the director of education and board staff. PIC works very hard to promote parent involvement at the Peel District School Board (PDSB). According to the principles of a public education system, parent involvement in the education system is essential. PIC will always advocate for a seat at the table to help make the PDSB a beacon for public education. On March 13, 2020, the Ministry of Education released its final report on the (PDSB)'s review. PIC would like to thank the three independent reviewers Ena Chadha, Suzanne Herbert and Shawn Richard, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Ministry's Educational Equity Secretariat Patrick Case and other ministry and board staff involved in this undertaking. We are also grateful to the students, parents and community members whose candid input was vital for this report. PIC would like parents to know that we find the concerns raised in the report very concerning, but not surprising. On March 5, 2020, at PIC's general meeting, members heard from parent advocates from the Peel Black community regarding their concerns. They expressed their concerns regarding the Board's decision to call the police and how this action further isolated Black parents as a whole. They thought that the Board used this tactics to shut down and shut out Black parents from access to public meetings at PDSB. PIC also heard that Black parents feel their voice does not have a lot of weight at PDSB, and encouraged PIC to support all parents on an equity model. They urged PIC to help them bring their concerns to the Board's leadership. It was troubling to know that PIC was thought to not be an ally to the Black parent and non-responsive to the needs of the most marginalized parents of PDSB and we recognize this has to change. PIC realizes that we have not fairly done the work of "hearing the personal truths about the machinations and magnitude of racism within the PDSB" (pg. 20). We acknowledge that our initiatives, while important, did not equitably focus or recognize the needs of Black families and students of PDSB. We commit to advocate for all Peel families and support initiatives that combat anti-Black racism. We understand the gravity of the systemic issues and after receiving this report, we are determined, as per the reviewer's recommendation, that PIC "should be better leveraged to encourage parents". PIC intends to use this report in laying the groundwork to implement positive changes. It is our resolve that PIC will advocate for strategies that equitably speak for all parents at PDSB. PIC recognizes the sacrifice Black parents have made in their advocacy. We are thankful for their work to help make PDSB a safe place for all students and will provide stronger support to Black parents going forward.
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Parent Involvement Committee's statement regarding reference to McCrimmon Middle School as McCriminal A comment referring to McCrimmon Middle School as McCriminal has come to the public's attention in early fall. As the Parent Involvement Committee, we acknowledge the negative and problematic nature of the comment. We also acknowledge the harm it has caused to the McCrimmon community, as well as to Black families within and outside of Peel. We hope the Peel District School Board will continue with its focus on equity and inclusion and remain steadfast in its commitment to address anti-Black racism and all forms of prejudice. Our mandate as the Parent Involvement Committee is to champion parent engagement—we look forward to supporting any initiatives engaging Peel parents on addressing anti-Black racism. |
About Parent Involvement Committees (PIC) Under the Ministry of Education's Parent Engagement Policy, all boards are required to have a committee comprised of a majority of parents that is directly linked to the director of education and trustees.The purpose of the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) is to: - support, encourage, and enhance meaningful parental involvement within schools and across the district
- seek advice and ideas of school councils and other parents and partners as they plan and implement strategies to involve more parents at the regional level
- work collaboratively with the school board
- develop strategies for increasing parental engagement and outreach, including parents who find involvement more challenging
- support student success
Learn more about the committee by reviewing our
Terms of Reference and bylaws, research, current members, meeting schedule, agendas and meeting minutes and the PIC newsletter.
Contact Us Have questions or comments? Send an email to [email protected] to reach one of the PIC co-chairs, or contact the Communications Department at 905-890-1010 (or 1-800-668-1146) ext. 2809.
PIC is also available on social media and parents, guardians and community members can follow the accounts to stay in touch and get relevant information. The accounts are administered by PIC members and are not monitored 24/7. - Twitter - @pic_pdsb
- Instagram - @pdsb_pic
- Facebook - @pdsbpic
While we want to engage in open conversation on social media, we ask that the discussions on posts are respectful of our community and are consistent with the Peel District School Board's Equity and Inclusive Education Policy. Individuals who do not follow the social media guidelines will have their posts removed, and/or be blocked from the sites.
Join a Subcommittee
Participation on
subcommittees is open to both PIC members and members of the public. Interested in joining ? Email [email protected] for more details.
Meeting Dates The PIC meets a minimum of four times a year virtually. PIC meetings are open to the public. Agendas are posted one week before the scheduled meeting date.
To view meeting agenda and minutes, click here.
2020-21 Meeting Schedule |
Date |
Time |
Room | Sept. 21, 2020 | 5:30 - 7 p.m. | Virtual Meeting | October 22, 2020 | 5:30 - 7 p.m. | Virtual Meeting | November 19, 2020 | 5:30 - 7 p.m. | Virtual Meeting | January 21, 2021 | 5:30 - 7 p.m. | Virtual Meeting | February 25, 2021 | 5:30 - 7 p.m. | Virtual Meeting | April 29, 2021 | 5:30 - 7 p.m. | Virtual Meeting |
To view upcoming and past PIC events, click here .
Current members (effective September 2020)
Parent members:
Shazia Hassan, Chair
Romana Siddiqui, Co-Chair Mangaljit Dabb, Ex-officio
Warda Abdulsamed, Parent member representing Mississauga Tabassum Anwar, Parent member representing Mississauga Karla Bailey, Parent member representing Brampton Neema Bhanot, Parent member representing Brampton Komal Dhand-Thom, Parent member representing Brampton Kashmira Laher, Parent member representing Mississauga Diane Sardi, Parent member representing Caledon Paula Schulzke, Parent member representing Brampton Tina Walia, Parent member representing Brampton Community members:
Barbara Cyr, representing the board's Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) Salha Jeizan, representing Multicultural Inter-Agency Group of Peel (MIAG)
Trustee members: Susan Benjamin, Trustee representing Mississauga John Marchant , Trustee representing Mississauga Will Davies, Trustee representing Brampton
Peel staff: Colleen Russell-Rawlins, Interim Director of Education Ashley Bigda, Community Relations Officer Audrey Crasto, School Communications Assistant
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