The Ford government says it will be ordering school boards to begin printing paper report cards again for parents after some moved to digital systems.
Ontario’s Ministry of Education suggested in a statement that some parents had struggled with digital report cards, which generally need to be downloaded using a password.
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“Parents deserve clear and straightforward access to information about their child’s education,” a spokesperson for Education Minister Paul Calandra wrote.
“That’s why we are working to ensure report cards are also provided in paper format, so families have simple access to their child’s progress. Our focus is on putting students first and making the system clearer and more consistent for families across Ontario.”
Calandra has taken a hands-on and controversial approach to his role, putting seven school boards under the direct control of Queen’s Park, blaming trustees for budget issues and governance dysfunction.
He has repeatedly indicated he would be open to eliminating public school board trustees altogether, something Premier Doug Ford recently said hadn’t yet been decided upon.
Financially and environmentally this makes zer0 sense.
Printing unnecessarily is part of the reason these boards are in financial difficulties. TVDSB has over 83,000 students. Imagine how much 9 pages (3 reports) for that many students cost? Permission forms should also be digital. The default should be digital and printed available on request.
Shouldn’t the policy be that parents can request paper report cards if they are uncomfortable with digital?