HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-01-31, Page 16You are invited
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at
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Mennonite
9:30 a.m. Worship Service
10:45 a.m. Christian
Education
Everyone Welcome
Interim Pastor Art Byer
n 1 887-6388 IF'
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THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
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TRINITY, BLYTH ST. JOHN'S,
9:30 A.M. BRUSSELS
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE 11:15 A.M.
HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL
MISSIONARY CHURCH
Auburn - 526-7555
PASTOR DAVE WOOD - 523-9017
Sunday 9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
7:30 p.m.
Wednesday 7:30 p.m.
Friday 7:30 p.m.
- Family Bible Hour
• Morning Worship Service
- Evening Worship Service
- Family Night
• Youth
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
11:00 a.m. - Morning Service
- Sunday School
9:30 a.m. - Belgrave Service
Wheelchair accessible
Nursery care available
We welcome you to come and worship with us.
Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 887-9831
BLYTH UNITED CHURCH
Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
Come Worship The Lord With Us
Sundays - 11:00 a.m.
Worship Service & Sunday School
Feb. 4 - "Sold Out in Body and Spirit"
Feb. 6 - 7:30 p.m. Congregational
ANNUAL MEETING
Minister - Rev. Ernest Dow
ALL ARE WELCOME
523-4224
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Fellowship
Ethel
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John 14:6 - Jesus said, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, no
one comes to the Father, but through Me."
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For more information call 887-6665
You are Welcome at the
BLYTH COMMUNITY CHURCH OF GOD
9:45 a.m. - Sunday School - for ages 3 to adult
11:00 a.m. - Morning Worship
Bible Studies - Wednesday morning 10 a.m.
Wednesday evening 7:30 p.m.
Phone 523-4590 308 Blyth Rd., Blyth
glea6e iain ma (04 wood tip thia Sunday
Morning Worship Service - 10 a.m.
Evening Worship Service 7:30 p.m.
"To you, 0 Lord, I lift up my soul;
in you I,trust, 0 my God."
— Psalm 25:1 & 2a
BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
Rev. Adrian A. Van Geest
zt, Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233
Wheelchair accessible
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Joan Golden - Diaconal Student Minister
Church Office 887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wcl.on.ca
Ethel United Church
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Brussels United Church
11:00 am
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AU are welcome to come and worship with us.
'PAGi'16. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2001.
Separate school board looks at expulsion
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
Though board officials say no one
has ever been expelled from the
Huron-Perth Catholic District
School Board, a committee will
begin discussing policies on expul-
sion and other disciplinary measures
when it begins meeting at the end of
January.
A government-produced document
entitled "Ontario Schools: Code of
Conduct," 'came into effect in
September, 2000, providing guide-
lines for boards when implementing
what are being called "standards of
behaviour."
In the past, Huron-Perth officials
have said the board's current codes
of conduct will meet newly-stated
provincial requirements. But at the
board's regular meeting Jan. 22,
Superintendent of Education Ray
Contois informed trustees about the
formation of a committee to tackle
issues such as suspension and expul-
sion.
"In the past, we may have had
By Stew Sliter
Special to The Citizen
The two publicly-funded school
boards in Huron and Perth Counties
will join forces to apply for an inter-
est-free loan to purchase specially-
designed computer software for
coordinating school bus routes. But
they just aren't sure if they'll send in
the application sooner or later.
According to Gaetan Blanchette,
director of education for the Huron-
Perth Catholic District School Board,
the deadline for applying to the
provincial government for tire. loan is
Jan. 31. But at a regular meeting of
the board Monday, Jan. 22,
Blanchette told trustees that it's
"likely" that the board will, instead,
send a letter to the education ministry
asking for an extension on the appli-
cation period.
Blanchette said officials of Huron-
Perth and its "coterminous board,"
the Avon Maitland District School
Board, have met to discuss the soft-
ware options being made available
through the government's loan pro-
gram. He explained the boards have
found the process time-consuming
and difficult. He added officials
would like to wait until the 9-1-1
emergency rural address system is
fully implemented and running
smoothly in Huron County before
purchasing a software program.
However, he suggested such tech-
nology could be beneficial if it can
save time for those planning school
bus routes, point to further possibili-
ties for cross-board cooperation, or
highlight inefficiencies in the route
schedules.
Trustees weren't so complimenta-
ry. Board chair Ron Marcy wondered
if the software would just replace the
work now being done by people. He
also criticized the government for
only providing a loan instead of a
grant for the technology.
Management chair Mike Millar,
who presented a report on the soft-
ware at the Jan. 22 meeting, called it
"an expensive acquisition. And, as
we all know with computers and
technology, it's going to only be a
short while before we'll have to pur-
chase again."
A proposal for one of the ministry-
approved software packages,
received Dec. 15, 2000 from the
Toronto and Virginia-based
MicroAnalytics company, outlines
costs of $11,875 for each board. This
does not include further costs for
some leeway in how we dealt with
some situations," Contois said in an
interview following the meeting.
"We don't know if this will change
yet, because those sections of the
(Safe Schools) Act haven't come into
force yet. But we have to establish
how we'll deal with certain situa-
tions before that happens."
The Safe Schools Act was actually
passed in June, 2000, but the govern-
ment has only implemented small
portions so far. And it appears the
legislation will continue to come into
effect incrementally.
"(The education ministry) started
out last year with the singing of the
national anthem and the reciting of
the pledge," Contois explained.
"Then, with things like teachers hav-
ing the right to suspend students,
they had talked about that happening
in the fall. Well, it didn't happen."
Contois and staff co-ordinator
Dennis Mackey, along with newly-
elected education chair Mary-
Catherine McKeon, attended a min-
istry-sponsored information session
recently in London, and learned
training and the gathering of map
data, which are approximately
$7,000 and $2,000, respectively.
Millar also suggested such soft-
ware doesn't always take local reali-
ties into account. He illustrated his
argument by pointing out the trans-
portation-related sections of a recent
document prepared by the Ontario
Catholic School Trustees'
Association.
"Each Catholic board must retain
the,authority to determine and imple-
ment its own transportation policy,"
states one of the recommendations in
the document, entitled "A Brief to the
Minister of Education, Ontario, re:
Education Funding."
"Each Catholic board must retain
the authority to determine and imple-
ment local service standards, includ-
ing walking distances, time on the
bus, pick-up and drop-off times, as
well as safety standards and adminis-
trative procedures," continues the
report, which was included as infor-
mation for trustees.
When asked, following the meet-
ing, if the purchase is being consid-
ered solely to ensure the boards
about the coming requirements with
respect to the legislation.
This winter, boards are expected to
finalize their "standards of behav-
iour." And indications are that, by
next fall, sections of the bill dealing
with suspension and expulsion will
be in place.
Hence the committee, which is
scheduled to meet for the first time
Jan. 30.
Though not all members have been
confirmed, Contois detailed the type
of representation the committee is
expected to include: one trustee
(McKeon, who received support
from fellow trustees at the Jan. 22
meeting), two administration staff
members, two. principals (one sec-
ondary and one elementary), school
council representatives, a police offi-
cial, and a representative from a
Children's Aid Society.
In addition, he said, board officials
have already met with colleagues in
the Avon Maitland District School
Board to discuss the need for certain
common policies. As an.example of
such areas of common concern,
remain in line for as much govern-
ment funding as possible for trans-
portation, Blanchette maintained
there are more practical reasons for
the softWare.
However, a report prepared for the
meeting by superintendent of busi-
ness Gerry Thuss, who was absent
due to illness, indicates the boards
are being pressured to consider the
software.
"A new transportation funding
model will be developed using trans-
portation management software,"
states background information in the
report. "The funding will be based on
coterminous boards planning trans-
portation cooperatively through the
use of computer software."
Blanchette says the
MircoAnalytics proposal, as well as
those from other companies, will be
fully examined before a decision is
made. And, in spite of the
criticism, he remains hopeful the
software will be beneficial when it
does arrive.
"Hopefully some of this technolo-
gy will be helpful in this area. Time
will tell."
Contois cited the protocol under
which police or social service agen-
cies would be asked for involvement.
In response to questioning from
trustee Vincent McInnes, the super-
intendent of education referred to
information from the recent min-
istry-sponsored sessibn to explain
the alternative arrangements which
might be put in place for expelled
students. He said classroom space
would not be provided on board
property for the expelled student to
take courses, but curriculum would
be made available and an instructor
would, potentially, be hired.
Ideally, he added, school work —
mainly core subjects like math and
English — would take up 40 per cent
of the student's supervised time,
while other social services, such as
counselling, would take up 60 per
cent of the time.
Contois was quick to add, howev-
er, that no changes will be made until
the government implements the
appropriate portions of the Safe
Schools Act.
"At this time, we will still be oper-
ating the way we normally have with
suspensions and so on, until we can
get something in place," he told
trustees.
School bds. apply for loan