Every student deserves the opportunity to receive the best possible education.
Each student, staff and family must be seen, heard and know they matter within the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board community.
All should feel safe and welcome at the OCDSB no matter one’s ancestry, background, ability, race, religion/creed, gender, or who one loves.
Sadly, this has not been the experience for every student, staff or family. Working together, we must address systemic barriers that have prevented too many students from reaching their full potential. We need to ensure students see their identity reflected in their learning experience.
Indigenous, Equity and Human Rights Division
While addressing these issues is the legal responsibility of every member of the OCDSB, the Indigenous, Equity and Human Rights Division coordinates these efforts by creating and supporting opportunities for engagement which honours and respects diverse lived experiences and expertise. The Indigenous, Equity and Human Rights Division is responsible for program implementation and service delivery.
Guided by the goals and milestones of the Indigenous, Equity and Human Rights Roadmap, the Division supports the OCDSB by:
- Supporting governance and leadership accountabilities
- Acknowledging the importance of identity and identity-based data collection and analysis
- Fostering engagement with students, staff, families and communities to create a community of belonging and representation
- Capacity-building through learning and building a representative workforce
- Identifying and addressing systemic and structural barriers
- Collaborating, co-creating and supporting across all departments and levels of the organization
- Advocating for students and families
- Working with employee resource groups, federations and student networks
OCDSB Office of the Human Rights and Advisor
Established in the spring of 2020, the Office of the Human Rights and Equity Advisor is committed to promoting and protecting the human rights of students, families, staff and the broader school community. The Human Rights and Equity Advisor is arm’s-length from other OCDSB departments to help ensure objectivity in fulfilling the role.