Policy Document
Below is a list of policies arising from resolutions that:
- have been approved since 1999 and
- remain active resolutions of the Federation.
| 1. |
Affiliations |
| 1.1 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the Canadian Federation of Students' campaign: to progressively reduce tuitiion fees; increase provincial and federal funding for post-secondary education; create a system of up-front, needs-based grants for students. (2007) |
| 2. |
Safety Issues |
| 2.1 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the mandatory use of safety restraints on school buses. (1999) |
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.8 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the adoption provincially of programmes for schools to teach all members of the school community about the reality of bullying and to assist students in the development of self help skills. (2001)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils seeks a change in legislation rgarding the maximum age of school buses in operation on our roads. (2005)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the requirement by government that transportation compainies provide training for all school bus drivers on managing life-threatening allergies. (2006)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports more thorough and advanced first aid training so that school bus drivers have safety, first aid, and EpiPen training before they drive a school bus with children on board. (2006)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports having school bus monitors on buses that transport students. (2008)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports having standardized training for bus drivers at the beginning of each school year. (2008)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils seeks government funded installation of video surveillance cameras in schools with identified problems of vandalism or bullying. (2008) |
| 3. |
Special Needs Issues |
| 3.1 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the provision of adequate services for students with special needs and is willing to work with the appropriate organizations in order to improve education for special needs students in this province. (1999) |
| 3.2 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the provision of additional teacher allocations for all students who need remedial assistance but do not qualify for Special Education. (1999) |
3.3
3.4
3.5 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the introduction of teacher allocations specifically for remedial reading. (2000)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the provision of resources to schools to address the issue of disruptive students. (2004)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the provision of an essential student assistant agreement to be implemented in time of withdrawal of services. (2004) |
| 4. |
Professional Development Issues |
| 4.1 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils urges the Department of Education to provide adequate professional development for teachers on curriculum delivery and classroom management, ensuring that instructional time is maximized by providing sufficient substitute days. NLFSC urges the Department of Education to offer optional evening, weekend and summer training and to negotiate with teachers to add a block of professional development time before the start of school each year. (1999) |
| 4.2 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils urges the Department of Education to allocate the number of substitute teacher days for professional development separately and independently from the number of substitute teacher days for non-discretionary leave. (2001) |
| 5. |
School Council Issues |
| 5.1 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the development of a provincial funding policy for School Councils by the Department of Education, including a basic operational grant for all School Councils. (1999) |
| 5.2 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the provision of additional Government funding to reflect operating expenses of each school council in Newfoundland and Labrador. (2000) |
| 5.3 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the protection of school council members by the Government-funded provision of school council travel accident insurance. (2000) |
| 5.4 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils support the development of a policy by the Department of Education to allocate through the school boards, sufficient funds, earmarked to operate school councils. (2002) |
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8
5.9
5.10
5.11 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the provision of workshops for parents involved in home and school associations and school councils. (2002)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports a provincial comprehensive review of the effectiveness of school councils with a view towards further empowerment of school councils as a legislated entity immediately and on a 5 year recurring basis. (2004)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports a request to government to provide operational grants to each school council in addition to the school instructional budget. (2004)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports a request to government to provide an operational grant of at least $2,000 annually to each school council to cover operational expenses such as mailouts, surveys, postage, fees, etc. and costs associated with attendance at meetings relevant to the business of the school council. (2006)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils endorses the reimbursement of travelling expenses to school council members attending meetings outside their home community which involves travel of more than 25 km. (2007)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports a request for government to designate a yearly budget to each school council at a base amount not to exceed $500. (2007)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils requests that government provide .25 cents per pupil per year to each School Council for their operating expenses for each school year; no School Council should receive less than $200 per school year. (2008) |
| 6. |
Technology Issues |
| 6.1 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the provision of adequate technology technicians to schools. This allocation should be in the range of one technician for every school or combination of schools with 100 networked computers. (1999) |
| 6.2 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the provision of technology education to Department Heads, as is currently the allocation policy and practice of the Department of Education for other curriculum specific Department Heads in our school system. (1999) |
| 6.3 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the provision of funding for technical support at a rate of 1 technician for every 65 computers in the schools of our province. (2000) |
| 7. |
Extracurricular Issues |
7.1
7.2 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils requests the various organizations involved in school tournaments, festivals and fairs to coordinate a schedule so that there will be no conflicts. (2000)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils requests financial support for extra bussing for students who travel long distances to attend school. (2008) |
| 8. |
School Building Maintenance Issues |
| 8.1 |
As most government buildings are maintained at a cost of $2.50 per square foot, and schools are maintained at a cost of $0.55 per square foot, the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils recommends that funding for schools’ maintenance be increased to a standard more in keeping with that spent on other publicly maintained buildings. (2000) |
8.2
8.3
8.4
8.5 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils recommends regular air quality testing in all the province’s schools, that the recommendations be followed up, and that air quality reports be forwarded to the respective school councils. (2001)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils insists that all school furniture conforms to ergonomic standards that are in practice throughout government insitutions. (2005)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports discontinuing the use of non-essential pesticides on school property. (2006)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils encourages government and school boards to support an anti-idling policy for school buses in front of school buildings. (2006) |
| 9. |
Funding Issues |
| 9.1 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils urges the Department of Education to increase the per pupil grant to school districts to provide adequate funding for all approved school programmes. (2001) |
| 9.2 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils requests that the Department of Education state publicly that Government does not fund 100% of the cost of textbooks and field trips up to Grade 8 and that such costs must be covered by parents. (2001) |
9.3
9.4 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils requests that the Minister of Education disassociate School Councils from any responsibility connected with local level funding. (2001)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils urges government to ensure that funding for the creation of effective outdoor space is included in budgets for new or renovating schools. (2005) |
| 10. |
Substitute Teacher Issues |
| 10.1 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils urges the Department of Education to not recover the costs of over-runs in substitute teacher days for non-discretionary leave from school boards. (2001) |
| 11. |
Food and Nutrition Issues |
11.1
11.2
11.3 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils encourages School Councils to work in a co-operative manner with their respective School Boards to move forward the development of Food and Nutrition policies for schools to improve access to nutritious food for students in schools throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. (2002)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils encourages school councils to work in a co-operative manner with their respective School Boards to move forward with implementation of initiatives supporting healthy eating and active living for students in schools throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. (2005)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils stresses the importance that schools whose student populations travel long distances to attend be encouraged to provide access to a lunch program for its students. (2008) |
| 12. |
Teacher Allocations |
12.1
12.2
12.3
12.4
12.5
12.6 |
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils urges the Department of Education to not reduce any teacher allocations for the next three years. (2002)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils makes teacher allocations its number one priority issue in all dealings with government. (2005)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils recognizes the importance of teachers taking lunch breaks and that persons with proper training oversee the student lunch break time. (2006)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils reiterates the need for the allocation of human supports for small schools to be used for supervision of CDLI students. (2008)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports deploying the allocation of Learning Resource teachers strictly towards library services such that all students in the province benefit from the professional assistance of qualified learning resource specialists. (2008)
The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports adequate training for Learning Resource teachers. (2008) |
13. Physical Activity Issues
13.1 The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils recognizes that lack of exercise during the school day poses a serious health risk to our children. (2004)
13.2 The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils endorses and promotes regular physical activity for all children during recess and lunch breaks. (2004)
13.3 The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils believes that children should be given the opportunity for outdoor exercise except in the most inclement weather conditions, that outdoor play should be encouraged and supported, and that failing to provide this opportunity (in the face of the current crisis) to our children is a travesty. (2004)
14. Curriculum Issues
14.1 The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils believes that the mathematics outcomes in K-5 level should be age appropriate and ensure that the child has the time to learn basic sklls. (2006)
15. Health Issues
15.1 The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports the hiring of a LPN for each district office. (2007)
15.2 The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils supports more sexual health education being provided to our youth. (2007)
16. Property Issues
16.1 The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils requests of government and school boards to develop a process to effectively resolve land use disputes as they arise between former religious Denominational schools and the applicable Denominational Authority. (2007)
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This Policy Document shall be updated yearly as appropriate with reference to resolutions passed at each Annual General Meeting.
Resolutions for the routine approval of minutes and reports (President, Treasurer, Annual), for the establishment, modification or dissolution of committees and for amendments to the Federation’s Constitution and By-laws are not listed here.
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