Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Student Participation

In reviewing the bill, it was the intention of the committee to ensure all stakeholders had a voice in the process. To facilitate this, the committee met with students in some of the communities visited to talk about the bill and to gain a student's perspective. The committee realizes that students feel they could have been more involved in the development of the legislation and will try to find ways to include students in the process more effectively in the future.

Student Representatives

Members were very pleased to see a section of the proposed act allowing for a student representative to attend district education authority meetings. As a result of comments from presenters on the scope of the student representative's role, the committee feels it is important that the district education authorities ensure students, as ex-officio members, are included in the process in a meaningful way. While the committee recognized the concern regarding students' participation on issues like discipline of a teacher which may come up at an authority meeting, Members feel students should be encouraged to attend and participate in as much of the authority's public meetings as possible. Mr. Speaker, the committee also feels it is important to ensure that student representatives are actually selected rather than this clause being a nice but unused idea in the act.

Parents' Responsibilities

Some presenters called for a strengthening of the parents' role in the education process, particularly in the decision-making regarding their child's education program. The committee agreed and during committee meetings, amended the bill to have a phrase giving parents the right and responsibility to "be involved in making decisions that significantly affect the education, health or safety of the student."

Another amendment in committee meetings addressed the concern about parents needing a principal's permission to observe their child in class. This section was rewritten to better reflect the partnership between home and school, while ensuring the principal can maintain order and a safe environment for all students in the school.

Members also felt strongly that organizations such as parent advisory committees were crucial to the ongoing partnership between parents and schools. Although there is a section in the act which would allow for the creation of advisory bodies, the committee does not feel this adequately expresses the opportunity for parent advisory committees at the school level.

Recommendation 3

The Standing Committee on Legislation recommends that a phrase be added to the bill to specifically allow for and encourage the establishment of a parent advisory committee in each school.

Attendance

Many questions were raised during the public hearings about how and when the attendance provisions would be enforced. More details on the process will be included in the regulations. It will be up to each community to decide to what extent they wish to use this provision and actually charge anyone.

Mr. Speaker, the Member for Thebacha, Mrs. Jeannie-Marie Jewell, will now continue with the report. Thank you.