Boundary Review Frequently Asked Questions

• A Boundary Review Committee will consist of the following:
• ​All members of the Steering Committee (for more information see School Boundary Administrative Procedure​​)
• Two p​arent representatives from each of the affected school communities
• Principals of​ affected schools are not on the Committee, but may be calle​d upon to verify information as required.

• ​Once the Board has approved the initiation of a school boundary review, the Superintendent of the affected Family of Schools will establish the Boundary Review Steering Committee and lead the school boundary review process.
• This committee will consist of: Family of Schools Superintendent(s) of all affected areas Superintendent from a non-affected area, General Manager of Planning Services, Trustee(s) for all of the affected areas, Trustee from a non-affected area.
• As necessary, the committee may also include the following supplementary members: Superintendent of Program, Superintendent of Business Services, Superintendent of Student Services

• ​Halton Student Transportation Services (HSTS)​ is responsible for implementing the transportation policies set out by the Halton and Halton Catholic District school boards.

• ​The Halton District School Board follows the School Boundary Review Administrative Procedure for its boundary review studies. The final decision for a boundary review study is made by the Board of Trustees by a vote. There are a number of steps that a boundary review study follows.
• ​In general for this study: The Boundary Review Committee (BRC) reviews options and recommends a preferred option(s) and any other input to be considered and sent to the Boundary Review Steering Committee (BRSC). The BRSC considers the recommendations and other input from the BRC and can make possible revisions. The Superintendent that is responsible for the boundary review study and is a member of the BRSC writes a board report and presents the report to the Administration Council and the Director of Education. The Director of Education can make further revisions to the recommendations in the board report and then shares with the Board of Trustees for a decision. The Board of Trustees votes on the recommendations made in the board report.

• Students new to the area will be required to attend the revised school boundaries.

• The purpose of the review is to open and populate a new school. Students entering grades K-7 will be required to change schools. 
• Students entering 8th grade may receive a legacy exemption for boundary reviews to graduate from their current school.

• Schools are built to accommodate students for 50+ years. New communities typically see schools having the highest enrolments in their lifespan. Building a school to meet the capacity in the first ten years will risk building a school too big for the community. Multiple schools with excess capacity can lead to future school closures or impact other communities from receiving a school in their neighbourhood.

• Halton DSB does guarantee boundaries will remain static for any community. Boundaries are subject to change.

• An individual or group may request the opportunity to present a delegation to the Board of Trustees (“Board”) during the public session of a Regular, Special, or Committee of the Whole Board meeting. Please review the process for delegating the Board of Trustees​.
• Delegation By-Law

The Superintendent of the affected Family of Schools establishes a Boundary Review Steering Committee (BRSC) composed of Trustees and board staff to lead the school boundary review process.

The role of the committee will be as follows:

1. Determine and communicate which schools are part of the Boundary Review Process;
2. Generate the initial boundary options for consideration by a larger Boundary Review Committee;
3. On behalf of the Boundary Review Committee (BRC), recommend preferred option(s) to Administrative Council and the Director; and,
4. Make the determination as to which consultation process pathway will be utilized (Pathway #1 or Pathway #2).

As the Boundary Review Steering Committee has confirmed that a Pathway #1 consultation process will be required for the scope of this review, a Boundary Review Committee (BRC) will be established, composed of the BRSC members, and up to two parent representatives from each affected school. Note other members may join as a resource if required.

Their mandate will be to work collaboratively on the following matters:

1. Examine the initial boundary options generated by the BRSC, and provide detailed feedback on the initial options, request modifications or additional options, if required. This is to be undertaken through a consensus process;
2. Over the course of a number of working meetings and based upon a set of agreed upon criteria, the committee will arrive at one or more preferred options to be submitted to the BRSC;
3. Parent representatives are to speak on behalf of all students, regardless of school, program, or grade; and,
4. Staff’s role on the committee is as a resource - to respond to inquiries and to provide committee members with the data and administrative experience required to assess options.