Make your voice count Student guide #PeelStudentVoice

Transcription

1 STUDENT TRUSTEE ELECTIONS Make your voice count Student guide #PeelStudentVoice

2 IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER By March 2 Online nomination form and consent forms due By March 8 or 9 Candidates notified of approval to campaign March 19 Campaign videos posted on peelschools.org and Peel board s YouTube page March 19 - April 16 Election campaign period April 17 or 18 Voting in schools April 24 at 7:30 p.m. Student trustees presented to the Board (Successful candidates will be invited to attend.) Where can I get more information? More information on running for student trustee elections is available at or visit the online nomination form at

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Roles and responsibilities 5 I m interested - what to do next? 6 Guidelines for using social media to campaign 9 Personal campaign visits and posters 10 Voting in schools 11 List of schools North and South of the FAQs 13 Appendix A 14 Consent forms Fact Sheet Questions? Connect with us! We re here to support you. Stacy Wilson School Support Officer stacy.wilson@peelsb.com ext Audrey Crasto School Communications Assistant audrey.crasto@peelsb.com ext. 3360

4 Student trustees serve an important role for the Peel District School Board. They represent the voice of students in decisions about education in Peel, and they help keep students informed about important decisions that affect them. Being a student trustee for the Peel District School Board is a great opportunity and a big commitment. Each school year, the Peel board selects two student trustees one representing schools north of Highway 401 and one representing schools south of Highway 401.

5 Student trustee roles and responsibilities The main duties for a student trustee include: attending all public board meetings and standing committee meetings, equaling to approximately one meeting a week to attend. Regular board meetings are typically held the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. representing students views in discussions about education issues. meeting with student leadership groups, including Peel Students' President's Council (PSPC). communicating regularly with students about the activities of the school board and gathering student input about upcoming issues facing the board (it s up to the student trustees to decide on the best methods). Your election campaign may address how you plan to fulfill these responsibilities. Student trustees are expected to set up ways to communicate regularly with students about the activities of the school board and to gather student input about upcoming issues facing the board. It s up to the student trustees to decide how best to keep in touch with students. Because of the time commitment, we don t recommend that a student trustee hold any other elected positions. Student trustees must adhere to Policy 66 Student Trustees. Student trustees are responsible for providing their own transportation to the board meetings and other meetings they would need to attend. Student trustees receive an honorarium of $2,500 and are provided with $1,500 to be used for conferences and training. They are also reimbursed for expenses they incur in their role as student trustee. These expenses would include transportation costs. All expenses must be approved by the chair of the board. 5

6 I m interested - what to do next? To run for election as a candidate for student trustee, you must: be a full-time Peel board secondary school student, or a part-time student with an IEP be 16 years or older by Dec. 31, 2018 have parental consent, if you re younger than 18 have strong academic standing, and leadership and communication skills Step 1: Speak with your school admin If you re interested in participating in the student trustees election, please contact your school administrator. They will share with you more information pertaining to the election process and campaign. Step 2: Provide a picture As part of your nomination package, you will have to submit a portrait picture that will be used on the Student Trustees election poster, the Peel board s social media accounts, board website and internal use. Below are the requirements for when you submit your picture: must be in colour. show a clear, front view of your full face. You must be dressed appropriately for the role of trustee. your photo must be a clear image of ONLY you (not blurry, grainy, or fuzzy) against a background that isn t distracting. photo should be in a landscape format. the image file must be submitted as a JPG/JPEG file-type. selfies or pictures that are cut out of group photos will not be accepted. 6

7 Step 3: Create a video Your campaign video is an opportunity for you to showcase your campaign platform and communicate with all students about the commitments that are important to you as a student trustee candidate. This video will be displayed on the Peel District School Board s social media channels, including but not limited to, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The video will also be posted on and schools may show the videos at their schools, leading up to the election period. Below are the requirements for your video: Length What to include Format Resolution Audio Consent requirements Submission format Must be a maximum of 3 minutes. Your video should share your commitments and highlight your campaign platform. Ensure that your video includes your name and a mention of whether you re running for North of the 401 or South of the 401. The format is up to you! Remember that the way you present your ideas is important. So consider the location background that you will be filmed against, attire, whether you want to be seen holding a script or not and the tone you wish to establish. All of these factors will influence the way students who don t know you will hear the messages you are sharing. Try to provide your video in the highest resolution available to provide the maximum degree of flexibility in the encoding and playback processes. Please ensure there is minimal background noise and your audio is clear. You must have a parent/guardian consent for every individual who appears in your video. Each individual in your video will need to complete the consent form provided in Appendix A. Please submit the video in mp4 format. PowerPoint, Google Slides or Prezi presentations will not be accepted. IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO NOTE ABOUT YOUR VIDEO: DO NOT include your contact information in the video. DO NOT use language that is offensive, nor should your clothing or the background (e.g. posters) be inappropriate in any way. Guidelines from your school s Code of Conduct regarding the appropriate use of language and other behavioural expectations will also apply to the production of your video. All the videos will be screened for appropriateness. Your video WILL NOT not be posted if it does not meet these expectations and may exclude you from the campaign. Please note that you cannot post or share your video until your application has been approved by the Peel District School Board and the campaign period begins. 7

8 Need assistance? Candidates have the option to have their campaign message filmed by a Peel board media support specialist. In this case, the video will be simple and will be edited only to ensure it flows and to add a title. If you are interested in this option, contact Audrey Crasto at audrey.crasto@peelsb.com. Step 4: Complete the online nomination form In order to run for student trustee, you must complete the online form available at: You will be required to attach your video, picture, cover letter and resume in your online nomination form. Step 5: Provide the consent forms to your school admin rep by March 2, 2018 In order to run for student trustee, you must complete the online nomination form and submit the following to your staff representative before the end of the school day on March 2, 2018: the completed consent form, signed by yourself, parent/guardian (if you are under the age of 18), and by a school administrator. the completed consent with signature(s) from parent/guardian(s) for EACH individual who will appear in your campaign video. Please photocopy the sheet if you have more than one individual in your video. Please note that your online application will not be considered if you do not provide the consent forms listed above. What s next? Once you ve submitted your student trustee nomination form, you will receive a confirmation by March 9 which will outline whether your application has been approved and if you will be considered a candidate for the student trustees election. The election campaign will be from March 19 to April 16, You can campaign in person and on social media only during this election campaign time period (including on social media). Voting at schools will take place on April 17 or 18. Failure to comply to these policies and procedures will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of your candidacy. 8

9 Guidelines for using social media to campaign Your election campaign must adhere to the election and social media guidelines listed below. You can actively campaign online by using only the social media accounts that were listed on your online application form. Any social media accounts that were not provided at the time of the application will not be considered. Candidates are recommended to use the #PeelStudentVoice hashtag on Twitter and Instagram to promote your campaign and engage online. If you notice any election campaigns promoted before or after the campaign period, please contact Audrey Crasto, School Communications Assistant, immediately via or phone, ext Digital Citizenship All students must adhere to Policy 78 Digital Citizenship when using social media as an election tool and demonstrate digital citizenship through the appropriate use of technology, as outlined in schools codes of conduct. Students must demonstrate appropriate, lawful, responsible and ethical online conduct and manners which refrain from improper/unethical use of technology, including cyber-bullying. The student campaigns should reflect the board s underlying values to be: Caring showing compassion and kindness towards others Cooperative working collaboratively with others for a common purpose Honest being truthful, trustworthy and sincere in our speech and actions Inclusive treating everyone fairly and equitably Respectful treating others, ourselves and the environment with high regard and value Responsible being accountable and reliable in our actions and commitments Candidates are to focus their campaigns on positive statements of principle and descriptions of past experience and future intent, and refrain from negative or personal remarks about other candidates. Peel board staff will periodically monitor all candidates social media activity to ensure students are following proper online conduct. It is expected that candidates and their supporters will not remove, deface, interfere with, or unreasonably inhibit from viewing other candidates campaign materials or messages, including social media. 9

10 Personal campaign visits and posters Candidates are NOT allowed to visit other schools to campaign in-person, unless you are attending a pre-arranged campaign event of all candidates, organized by the school. If you re interested in visiting a school, please contact the school principal to inquire if they re interested in hosting an event for ALL CANDIDATES. If the request is approved by the school principal, ALL candidates will be invited to attend. Once the date for the ALL candidates meeting has been determined, connect with the school principal regarding the meeting or presentation format. Be prepared for the meeting, have all your talking points or visuals ready and practice! Posters A poster featuring all candidates in your region (North/South of 401) will be distributed to all secondary schools (ten copies per school). Personal campaign posters are the candidate s responsibility and you may choose to distribute your own campaign posters within your region (maximum of two posters per school). Please note, before you distribute campaign materials inside or outside of any school property, you MUST receive the expressed permission of the principal of that school. At the principal s discretion, the principal may grant permission to a maximum of two posters from each candidate. If you are interested in distributing any other types of campaign materials, please contact Audrey Crasto for approval, via audrey.crasto@peelsb.com or phone, ext

11 Voting in schools - April 17 or 18 Voting will be held at each school on April 17 or 18. The winning trustee for each region will have secured the highest number of first-place finishes at schools in their region. If you are elected, you will be notified through your school and you will be invited to attend the Regular Meeting of the Board at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 to meet your fellow student trustee and be introduced to the Board of Trustees as the incoming student trustees. The meeting will be held at the board office, located at 5650 Hurontario St. in Mississauga. For more information, visit This is a time for you to show all the leadership skills you have to offer! Don t be afraid to be creative and versatile. Be bold, have fun and be YOU! 11

12 List of schools North and South of 401 SOUTH SCHOOLS Bramalea Brampton Centennial Castlebrooke Central Peel Chinguacousy David Suzuki Fletcher s Meadow Harold M. Brathwaite Heartlake Humberview Jean Augustine Judith Nyman Lincoln M. Alexander Louise Arbour Mayfield Mississauga North Park Sandalwood Heights Turner Fenton NORTH SCHOOLS Applewood Heights Cawthra Park Clarkson Erindale Glenforest Gordon Graydon Memorial John Fraser Lorne Park Meadowvale Port Credit Rick Hansen Stephen Lewis Streetsville T.L. Kennedy West Credit The Woodlands 12

13 FAQs What happens if I can t complete the term of office? The first runner-up in each district council election will be the alternate student trustee for that district. If the student trustee leaves office before the end of the term, the alternate would complete the term. The board can disqualify a student trustee from service for any of the following reasons: no longer a student of the Peel board absence from three consecutive board meetings without the permission of the board conviction of an indictable offense suspension from school for a serious violation of the behaviour code What assistance is available to student trustees? Each student trustee will have a trustee mentor. This mentor will be an experienced trustee appointed by the board to serve as an advisor to the student trustee. The mentor can explain board policies and procedures and answer your questions. Some administrative support will be available to the student trustees through the Peel board s: Director s Office Trustees Office Leadership Development and School Support Services Communications and Community Relations Support Services 13

14 Parental consent for students who appear in Student Trustee campaign videos (required if the student is under 18 years of age) Student trustee elections will be held in Peel District School Board secondary schools between March 19 to April 16, Student trustees serve an important role for the Peel board. They represent the voice of students in decisions about education in Peel, and they help keep students informed about important decisions that affect them. The Peel board has two student trustees one representing schools north of Highway 401 and one representing schools south of Highway 401. A student at your teen s school, is running for student trustee. Your teen would like to appear in their campaign video. The video will be posted on and on YouTube until the end of the campaign on April 16, If you are comfortable with your teen appearing in the video, please fill out and sign the attached permission form. If you have any questions, please call me at ext Sincerely, Stacy Wilson School Support Officer I hereby consent for my teen to appear in the Student Trustee campaign video of: (insert name of student trustee candidate) I understand that as part of the campaign, the video will be posted on YouTube and I realize that the video will be removed following the campaign. I am the parent guardian of and consent to this authorization and release. Parent/Guardian signature Signed this day of, 2018

15 student trustee elections Make your voice count **Interested candidates must submit an online application available at in addition to submitting this form.** Student s full name School I wish to declare my candidacy for the position of student trustee for the Peel District School Board. I understand the role and responsibilities of a student trustee as described in Peel board Policy #66. Candidate s signature Date Parent/guardian consent (required if candidate is less than 18 years of age) I am the parent/guardian of and consent to the candidacy for the role of student trustee. I understand that as part of the campaign, my teen will: submit a campaign video that will be posted on YouTube, and shared with schools. I realize that the video will be removed following the campaign. submit a picture that will be posted on and on the election poster distributed boardwide. Parent/guardian signature Parent/guardian name Date Certification of eligibility (signed by school official) I acknowledge that this student meets the eligibility criteria and can run for election as a student trustee candidate. School official s signature School official name Date

16 SO YOU WANT TO BE A STUDENT TRUSTEE? attend public board meetings and standing committee meetings. meet with student leadership groups,including the Peel Student President's Council (PSPC). represent student voice in discussions about education issues. complete an online nomination form including submitting your campaign video and photo at submit a consent form signed by your election coordinator and parent/guardian by March 2. submit a consent form signed by parent/guardian of individuals who appear in your campaign video by March 2. (if applicable) Online nomination & consent forms due - March 2 Videos posted on peelschools.org & Peel board's YouTube page - March 19 Election campaign period - March 19 - April 16 Voting in schools - April 17 or 18 Student trustees presented to the board - April 24 #PeelStudentVoice Learn more: