A Simcoe County trustee is barred from board meetings for a month

Sarah Beitz, a Simcoe County District School Board trustee, has been sanctioned as part of the integrity commissioner’s second investigation of the year and barred from attending meetings through November.

However, the board does not disclose the reasons and events that led to the complaint.

“The subject of the code of conduct was a confidential personnel matter … so the matter was addressed in closed session by the full committee,” board chairwoman and Orillia/Severn/Ramara trustee Jodi Lloyd said in an interview after the meeting.

“As part of the board’s commitment to protect the privacy of those involved, any related documentation also remains confidential,” she said.

During a speech and report after a lengthy closed-door meeting on Oct. 23, trustees announced that Beitz, who represents New Tecumseth, had violated sections 3.3 and 8.4 of the board. code of conduct of trustees.

After finding violations of the code of conduct, trustees voted to censure Beitz through a formal reprimand and ban her from meetings in November, except for one organizational meeting scheduled for Nov. 18.

Confidential documents, which the board says are the subject of the integrity commissioner’s report, must also be returned to the director’s office by Nov. 18.

Section 3.3 of the SCDSB Trustee Code of Conduct states that “Trustees, as board leaders, must uphold the dignity of the office and conduct themselves in a professional manner, particularly when attending board events or while on board property.”

Section 8.4 states that “each Trustee shall comply with the policies of the Board, the Bylaws of the Board and applicable procedures.”

According to Ontario’s ombudsman, who investigates complaints about administrative issues in the broader public sector, municipalities must ensure that reports received from the integrity commissioner available to the public.

However, these rules derive from a municipal act, so they do not apply to public school boards.

All school boards in Ontario are expected to comply with the province’s Education Act. Currently, the Education Act does not require the release of school board integrity commissioners’ reports.

However, work being done by the Ontario Ombudsman’s office will change that practice.

“In a submission to the Department for Education in April 2024, the Ombudsman proposed that where an integrity officer finds that a member has breached the code of conduct, the integrity officer’s final report should be made public,” said Ashley Bursey, communications manager. with the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman by email.

The ombudsman also suggested in that submission that school board trustees should be required to discuss integrity commissioner reports in open session, unless the discussion falls within one of the exceptions to the open session rules.

Therefore, in January 2025, the Education Act will be amended to change the requirements for the disclosure of information about the decision of the integrity commissioner.

As of January 1, 2025, sub section 218.3.2 (11) of that law, school boards “must keep records and publish information on their website about each of the following”: the matter referred to the integrity commissioner, the integrity commissioner’s decision, and the determination of the integrity commissioner.

When asked why the board was sticking with the old rules instead of taking the opportunity to follow new changes aimed at increasing transparency in school boards, Lloyd said the board now has a strict duty of confidentiality.

“We have to adhere to the provision that is in place at the moment,” she said.

This is the second time Beitz has violated the trustee code of conduct this school year.

In Septembershe was found to have violated the board’s code of conduct based on comments she made during a presentation to the New Tecumseth board regarding the site for the new Bunting Memorial High School and for conduct after the presentation.

That reportwith some details anonymous, was released by the board in September.

Also during a special board meeting Wednesday, trustees approved a recommendation by the board’s code of conduct committee not to conduct a formal investigation into another complaint by the integrity commissioner and to suspend the matter. No other information was provided in the updated update regarding the third complaint.

Upon contact After the meeting, Beitz called the overall process “an enlightening learning experience.”

“This process has been incredibly difficult for me and my family,” she said. “I really want to move forward and continue to serve.”