Current “Hot Topics” in Education
April 10, 2013
Parents Allowed to Run
Extracurricular Activities
A new topic that is being discussed in Mississauga
by the Peel District School Board is moving ahead
with plans that will allow parents and community
volunteers to coach school sports teams and
supervise other extracurricular activities
The move could help prevent the agonizing
disappointment many students experienced this
year when Ontario’s public school teachers
stopped volunteering to supervise extracurricular
activities to demonstrate opposition to
government legislation. The political protest of Bill
115 effectively ended sports and other after-school
activities for many students at the Peel Board.
Currently, according to the Board, liability issues
prohibit community volunteers from running
activities without some level of supervision by a
school staff member.
Procedural changes, endorsed by Peel Board
trustees at a meeting last night, would change that
and see volunteers supervising extracurricular
activities in Peel schools covered by the Board’s
insurance.
However, parents and community volunteers will
still be unable to coach at the high school level
unless there is a school staff member supervising.
Region of Peel Secondary School Athletic
Association and Ontario Federation of School
Athletic Associations regulations, which govern
most all organized high school team sports,
require direct teacher supervision.
This opens the door for parent involvement
beyond fundraising and school councils, said
Brampton trustee Steve Kavanagh. There are
professional athletes, chess experts and other
highly accomplished residents in the community
whose knowledge could be of great value to
students, he suggested.
The procedural changes reinforces the Board’s
commitment to ensuring students have an
opportunity for a well-rounded educational
experience, added Brampton trustee David
Green, who noted many other school boards are
already allowing community volunteers to run
extracurriculars.
Under new procedures, principals would have
the final word on supervision arrangements and
the preference will always be for staff to run
activities. The use of community volunteers will
be based on need and student interest.
Volunteers will require proper record checks and
could assist with, but not run, any overnight
excursions and only supervise day trips of less
than 50 students.
The changes will be implemented in September.
In February, Susan Hamann, whose son attends
Green Glade Public School in Clarkson, appeared
as a delegation at a Peel Board meeting. She
asked trustees to consider developing a more
“sustainable” way to provide students with
extracurricular activities.
Her request prompted Board officials to look
deeper into the idea of parent and community
volunteers playing supervisory roles in school
activities outside the classroom.
REFLECTION
I think the integration of parents and
community volunteers running extracurricular
activities is a great idea. Teachers have a lot of
extra work they have to do to prepare for
their everyday lessons and then it is also up to
the teachers to run or coach the
extracurricular activities. If parents or
community members are willing to volunteer,
it would take some of the work load off of
teachers. Obviously, there would have to be
some restrictions and guidelines to follow but
for the general idea of it, I think it would be an
effective idea.
Although parents and community volunteers
could not coach or run activities at a high
school level without supervision, it would still
open up many more opportunities for the
junior high and elementary students whose
teachers just do not have the time to run
these types of activities.
Having the parents and community members
as volunteers would also be a way for the
community to get involved within the school
and it would allow them to experience the
atmosphere of the school firsthand.
I think the idea of parents and community
members getting involved with the school is
great. It gives children more opportunities, it
takes some of the work load off the teachers
and it is a way for students to gain new
experiences.
Source

http://news.ca.msn.com/ontario/missis
sauga/parents-allowed-to-runextracurriculars
By : Brady Hennig