THUNDER BAY — The Lakehead District School Board is conducting a census to learn more about the composition of the approximately 8,800 members of its student population.
The survey, which is voluntary and confidential, will begin Feb. 14.
The board says the information will help identify and address barriers to equity of access and outcomes for student achievement.
Plans for the census were revealed in a social media announcement Tuesday which included a video.
In his message, Director of Education Ian MacRae said "The more data we can accumulate, the better the opportunity we will have to identify and address systemic barriers."
The census will include questions about racial/ethnic background, religious belief and disability, as well as others.
The school board says the combined data will help reveal barriers that exist in its policies, procedures and practices that may have an adverse effect on students or cause inequity.
Ashley Nurmela, the board's First Nations, Métis and Inuit liaison officer, states in the video "The needs of my children may not be the same as other families. It's important we recognize and acknowledge that."
Other Ontario boards, including the Toronto, Hamilton-Wentworth, Durham and Near North district boards are also collecting student identity data.
The initiative is supported and funded by the Ministry of Education.
Parents and guardians of students in Kindergarten to Grade 8 can complete the census on behalf of their children, or with their children, starting Feb. 14.
Students in Grades 9 to 12 will complete theirs in class the week of Feb. 14 to 18.
Ryan McDonnell, the principal at Superior Collegiate, said "We really want our families to be comfortable with this survey. But as always, contact your child's school. The more parents are involved, the more successful kids are."
Parents and students can choose to opt out.
The board is giving assurances, however, that access to information obtained in the census will be kept in a confidential database, with access restricted to authorized personnel.
Individual responses will be combined for reporting purposes. To protect student identities, the board says reports that are shared publicly are prepared only in aggregate or combined form.
Further details will be provided to families by email.
