Simcoe County District School Board trustee Sarah Beitz has been disciplined in a second Integrity Commissioner investigation this year and is barred from attending meetings throughout the month of November.

However, the reasons and events giving rise to the complaint are not made public by the council.

“The subject of the code of conduct was a confidential staff matter…so it was addressed in a closed session of the committee of the whole,” said the board chair and Orillia director /Severn/Ramara, Jodi Lloyd, in an interview following the meeting.

“As part of the board’s obligation to protect the privacy of those involved, any documents related to this matter also remain confidential,” she said.

During a fundraiser and report after the lengthy Oct. 23 closed session, trustees announced that Beitz, who represents New Tecumseth, had violated board sections 3.3 and 8.4. code of conduct for administrators.

After finding a violation of the code of conduct, the directors voted to censure Beitz by means of a formal reprimand and prohibit him from participating in meetings during the month of November, excluding an organizational meeting scheduled for November 18. november.

Confidential documents mentioned by the board of directors in the integrity commissioner’s report must also be returned to the director’s office by November 18.

Section 3.3 of the SCDSB Director Code of Conduct states that “Directors, as officers of the Board, shall respect the dignity of their office and conduct themselves in a professional manner, particularly when attending meetings. board events or while on board property. »

Section 8.4 states that “each director shall comply with the policies of the board, the bylaws of the board and applicable procedures.”

According to the Ontario Ombudsman, who investigates complaints about administrative problems in the broader public sector, municipalities must ensure that reports received from an integrity commissioner are made available to the public.

However, these rules come from the Municipal Act and therefore do not apply to public school boards.

All school boards in Ontario must follow the provincial Education Act. Currently, the Education Act does not require the reports of school board integrity commissioners to be made public.

However, the work being done by the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman will change this practice.

“In a submission to the Department of Education in April 2024, the Ombudsman proposed that in cases where an Integrity Commissioner concludes that a member has breached the Code of Conduct, the final report of the Integrity Commissioner “integrity be made public,” said communications manager Ashley Bursey. with the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman, by email.

The Ombudsman also suggested in this submission that school trustees should be required to discuss the Integrity Commissioner’s reports in open session, unless the discussion clearly falls within one of the exceptions to the meeting rules public.

As such, amendments will be made to the Education Act in January 2025 which will change the requirements for the publication of information about decisions of the Integrity Commissioner.

Since January 1, 2025, under section 218.3.2 (11) Under this law, school boards “must keep records and post information on their website about each of the following”: a matter referred to an Integrity Commissioner, a decision of the Integrity Commissioner, and a determination of an integrity commissioner.

When asked why the school board was sticking with the old rules, instead of taking the opportunity to follow new changes intended to improve transparency within school boards, Lloyd responded that as of now the school board had a strict duty to maintain confidentiality.

“We have to respect the regulations that are in place at the moment,” she said.

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

In SeptemberShe was found to have violated the school board’s code of conduct based on comments she made during a presentation to New Tecumseth council regarding the location of the new Banting Memorial High School and its behavior after the presentation.

This reportwith some details made anonymous, was made public by the board in September.

Also as part of Wednesday’s special board meeting, directors approved a recommendation from the board’s Code of Conduct Committee not to pursue a formal investigation into another complaint from the Integrity Commissioner and to suspend proceedings on this issue. No further information is provided in the update on the third complaint.

When contacted Following the meeting, Beitz called the overall process an “enlightening learning experience.”

“The process has been incredibly difficult for me and my family,” she said. “I look forward to moving forward and continuing to serve.”