In a special investigation report published on October 31, 2017, the Protecteur du citoyen delivered its findings and recommendations concerning the complaint-handling process within schools and school boards.
Findings
- Too many steps and people involved;
- Lengthy processing delays;
- Lack of information about recourse;
- Lack of training for Student Ombudsmen and expertise-sharing among them;
- Student Ombudsmen’s independence needs strengthening;
- Student Ombudsmen not empowered to act on their own initiative;
- Accountability flaws;
- Follow-up to Student Ombudsman recommendations hard to ensure.
Recommendations
The Protecteur du citoyen made 19 recommendations aimed at making recourse with Student Ombudsmen simpler and quicker and more effective and impartial.
Among the Protecteur du citoyen’s recommendations was that the school board’s Student Ombudsman be the gateway to the complaint examination procedure.
Moreover, the Protecteur du citoyen recommended that it act independently and impartially as a second level of recourse for parents and students dissatisfied with the conclusions of the school board’s Student Ombudsman or with Council of Commissioners follow-up to the recommendations.
