Ottawa School Board Allows Meeting Recordings, Bans Live-Streaming

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) has announced a significant change in its policy regarding the recording of committee meetings. Under the oversight of provincial supervisor Bob Plamondon, the board will now allow recordings of public governance meetings, though it will not permit live-streaming. This decision aims to amend the existing rules that broadly prohibited recordings, as stated by board spokesperson Diane Pernari.

Pernari emphasized that the initial policies were designed to protect the privacy of students and staff. The amendment seeks to clarify the intent of these regulations while allowing for greater transparency in governance. “It is important to note that these policies were initially created to ensure the privacy of students and staff in schools,” she said.

Despite this move toward increased transparency, the prohibition on live-streaming remains a contentious issue. The board’s decision has become a focal point of debate, particularly as it relates to public access to decision-making processes. All governance decisions are currently under the authority of the supervisor, with no input from elected trustees since June 27, 2023.

The board has faced scrutiny over its handling of public meetings. For instance, a meeting of the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) was briefly interrupted on October 8, 2023, when a parent, Cathy Varrette, was found live-streaming the proceedings. Although board staff intervened, Varrette continued to stream the meeting, drawing attention to the need for transparency.

At a subsequent parent involvement committee meeting on October 14, 2023, attendees, including reporters from three media outlets, were asked to sign a form restricting recordings without consent. In response to questions about the public nature of the meeting, OCDSB lawyer Jesse Mark confirmed that the meeting was public and that statements made could be cited.

Pernari clarified that the policy requiring consent for recordings would no longer apply to public governance meetings. In contrast, she noted that recordings at the parent involvement committee meeting should not have occurred due to the lack of consent from all parties present.

Critics of the board’s decision, such as David Lepovsky, chair of the AODA Alliance and a former academic, argue that restricting live-streaming undermines public engagement and transparency. “If live-streaming was done before the Ford government took over the board, without requiring consent of all members, then the same should continue,” Lepovsky stated. He pointed out that limiting access to meetings could harm students with disabilities and their families.

Varrette has expressed her determination to continue live-streaming SEAC meetings, stating, “We’re not going to stop. It’s a public space. Everyone has a recording device on them now.” Her sentiments resonate with other parents who feel excluded from the decision-making process. Anthony Wong, another SEAC member, echoed this concern, saying, “It’s troubling that the board refuses to live-stream its meetings — and worse, that it’s not even making recordings accessible.”

The absence of live-streaming means fewer opportunities for parents to participate from home, an especially important consideration for families with special needs children. When the meetings were live-streamed in the past, they often attracted significant online participation, with some meetings drawing as many as 145 participants.

As the OCDSB prepares for its next SEAC meeting on November 5, 2023, the ongoing conflict over transparency and public access remains unresolved. Parents and advocates continue to call for greater openness in the board’s decision-making processes, emphasizing that transparency is not merely a privilege but a fundamental right for the community it serves.