A version of this article was first published by CollingwoodToday, a Village Media publication.
Sarah Beitz, a trustee with the Simcoe County District School Board, has been sanctioned as part of a second integrity commissioner investigation this year, and is banned from attending meetings throughout November.
However, the reasons why and the events informing the complaint are not being made public by the board.
“The subject of the code of conduct was a confidential personnel matter... so this matter was addressed in a closed session of committee of the whole,” Chair of the board and Orillia/Severn/Ramara trustee Jodi Lloyd in an interview following the meeting.
“As part of the board’s obligation to protect the privacy of those involved, any related documentation related to this matter remains confidential as well,” she said.
During a rise and report following the lengthy in-camera session on Oct. 23, trustees announced Beitz, who represents New Tecumseth, contravened sections 3.3 and 8.4 of the board’s code of conduct for trustees.
Having determined a breach of the code of conduct, trustees voted to censure Beitz through a formal reprimand and ban her from meetings for the month of November, excluding one organizational meeting scheduled for Nov. 18.
Confidential documents the board says are referred to in the integrity commissioner’s report must also be returned to the director’s office by Nov. 18.
Section 3.3 of the SCDSB’s trustee code of conduct states that “trustees, as leaders of the board, must uphold the dignity of the office and conduct themselves in a professional manner, especially when attending board events, or while on board property.”
Section 8.4 states that “each trustee shall comply with board policies, board bylaws and applicable procedures.”
According to the Ontario Ombudsman who investigates complaints about administrative issues in the broader public sector, municipalities are required to ensure that reports received from an integrity commissioner are made available to the public.
However, those rules come from the Municipal Act, so they are not in effect for public school boards.
All school boards in Ontario are expected to abide by the provincial Education Act. Currently, the Education Act does not require school board integrity commissioner reports be made public.
Work being done through the Ontario Ombudsman’s office, however, will be changing that practice.
“In a submission to the Ministry of Education in April 2024, the Ombudsman proposed that in cases where an integrity commissioner finds that a member contravened the code of conduct, the integrity commissioner’s final report should be made public,” said Ashley Bursey, communications manager with the Ontario Ombudsman’s office, in an email to CollingwoodToday.
The Ombudsman also suggested through this submission that school board trustees should be required to discuss integrity commissioner reports in open session, unless the discussion squarely fits within one of the exceptions to open meeting rules.
As such, there are amendments coming to the Education Act in January 2025 that will change the requirements for making information about integrity commissioner decisions public.
As of Jan. 1, 2025, under section 218.3.2 (11) of that act, school boards “shall keep records and publish information on its website about each of the following”: a matter referred to an integrity commissioner, a decision of the integrity commissioner and a determination of an integrity commissioner.
When asked why the board is sticking with the old rules, instead of taking the opportunity to follow the new changes intended to improve transparency at school boards, Lloyd said as of now, the board has a strict duty to preserve confidentiality.
“We have to follow the regulation that is in place at this time,” she said.
This marks the second time Beitz has been found to have run afoul of the trustee code of conduct this school year.
In September, she was found to have breached the board’s code of conduct based on comments she made during a presentation to New Tecumseth council regarding a location for the new Banting Memorial High School, and for behaviour following the presentation.
That report, with some details anonymized, was made public by the board in September.
Also as part of the special board meeting on Wednesday, trustees approved a recommendation of the board’s code of conduct committee to not pursue a formal inquiry into another integrity commissioner complaint and to stay proceedings on that matter. No other information is provided in the update on the third complaint.
When contacted by CollingwoodToday following the meeting, Beitz called the overall process an "illuminating learning experience."
"The process has been incredibly difficult for me and my family," she said. "I'm anxious to move forward and continue to serve."
