Pupil Accommodation Review

A "Pupil Accommodation Review" (PAR) is a province-mandated review process designed to engage community members in anticipation of a potential school closure or consolidation; in other words, it is the first step in the official process by which a public school in Ontario is closed. A revised PAR process was introduced in 2015, with the intent of increasing community input, and first put in practice in Toronto in the spring of 2016, when a PAR was initiated for Vaughan Road Academy (VRA).

As the closure of a school requires the re-distribution of its remaining and future students, nearby schools - including Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, John Polanyi Collegiate Institute, Oakwood Collegiate Institute, and York Memorial Collegiate Institute - and their respective communities (where distinguishable from VRA's) were participants in the VRA PAR as well. The PAR process requires at least one public consultation; two were held, in both cases at Vaughan Road Academy itself in mid-October 2016. The final staff report on the PAR, included here, features comments from participants at these public consultations. Ultimately, TDSB staff recommended the closure of Vaughan Road Academy, and, after further debate within the Planning and Priorities Committee and at the December 2016 Board meeting, trustees voted in favour of closing the school. The decision to retain VRA as a "core holding" was part of a separate process, information on which can be found within the February 2017 sub-heading of the Planning and Priorities Committee sub-section.

This section contains TDSB documents relating to both the specific Pupil Accommodation Review launched against Vaughan Road Academy and its neighbours in the spring of 2016, and items relating to the PAR process more generally, including the Province of Ontario's revised PAR guidelines. If necessary, documents related to subsequent PARs conducted on local schools will be added later. The material is organized by theme, and, within each sub-heading, chronologically.

Revised Provincial Guidelines for Pupil Accommodation Reviews

• April 2018 - Ministry of Education Pupil Accommodation Review Guideline
  • 27 April 2018 - Final Pupil Accommodation Review Guideline and Updates on Integrated Planning and Supports for Urban Education
• 2015 - Guide to Pupil Accommodation Reviews

Pupil Accommodation Review Process

• 13 September 2017 - Written Notice of Motion - Pupil Accommodation Review Process
• 25 October 2017 - Revisions to Accommodation and Program Review Policy P068 and Pupil Accommodation Review Procedure PR598
• 25 October 2017 - TS8.2 - Progress Update: City-School Board Cooperation to Strengthen the Pupil Accommodation Review Process and Respond to Surplus Declarations of School Property
  • 2 October 2017 - TS8.2 - 2016-2017 Progress Update: City-School Board Cooperation to Strengthen the Pupil Accommodation Review Process and Respond to Surplus Declarations of School Property
• 30 May 2018 - Accommodation and Program Review Policy P068 - Policy Review, Phase 1

Pupil Accommodation Review for Vaughan Road Academy

• June 2016 - Context for the Process to Close Vaughan Road Academy
• 15 June 2016 - Planning and Priorities Committee - Report
• 15 June 2016 - Request to Proceed with a Pupil Accommodation Review for Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, John Polanyi Collegiate Institute, Oakwood Collegiate Institute, Vaughan Road Academy, and York Memorial Collegtiate Institute
• 16 November 2016 - Pupil Accommodation Review for Forest HIll Collegiate Institute, John Polanyi Collegiate Institute, Oakwood Collegiate Institute, Vaughan Road Academy, and York Memorial Collegiate Institute - Final Staff Report
• 7 December 2016 - Minutes
• 8 December 2016 - Letter Informing Parents/Guardians, Students, and Community Members of Decision to Close Vaughan Road Academy