Ombudsman marks 10 years of oversight of Ontario school boards

Paul Dubé: 9,000 cases handled to date; significant improvements in accountability since 2015

(TORONTO – September 2, 2025) As the new school year gets under way across the province, Ombudsman Ontario is marking 10 years of working with students, families and school boards to address thousands of complaints about administrative issues.

Since the Ombudsman’s mandate was extended to the province’s 72 school boards and 10 school authorities on September 1, 2015, the office has handled some 9,000 cases (complaints and inquiries), helping thousands of students and families throughout Ontario. Boards have also implemented numerous best practices proposed by the Ombudsman, resulting in increased accountability and transparency.

“The services delivered by school boards can have a profound impact on the futures of our children and communities. It’s essential that people are able to raise concerns about them through a trusted, independent and impartial process,” said Ombudsman Paul Dubé.

“For 10 years now, we’ve seen a steady demand for help with a wide range of school board issues – everything from busing plans that affect all students to individual special needs accommodations. Not only have we been able to resolve problems for thousands of students and families, we’ve been able to help school board officials improve their processes and avert future complaints.”

Over the same period, the province has made legislative changes that reflected calls by the Ombudsman and others to improve school board governance – notably, requiring all boards to have a trustee code of conduct. The Ombudsman also reviews complaints about meetings of boards of trustees that are closed to the public.

“All Ontarians have a right to consistent transparency and accountability from their boards, wherever they live in the province,” the Ombudsman said. “The governance framework today is much more robust than in 2015, and reflects our recommendations in several submissions to the government. We’ve also been able to share our expertise in open meetings with school boards in several reviews.”

When the Ombudsman’s office was first established 50 years ago, calls began for school boards to be included in its jurisdiction, as they were in other provinces. Since 2015, his office has been able to demonstrate the value of that oversight through tangible results that have benefited the public and the boards themselves, Mr. Dubé said.

“In the vast majority of cases, we help people and resolve their concerns by connecting them with the right school board officials, or reviewing the board’s processes and either suggesting best practices or determining that they are fair. Across thousands and thousands of cases, we’ve seen better governance, and the results are appreciated by board officials and residents alike.”

The most common concerns brought to the Ombudsman about school boards are consistently matters related to enrolment, student safety, and support services for students with special needs.

Examples of systemic improvements stemming from Ombudsman recommendations and proposals since 2015:

Better busing plans: After a severe school bus driver shortage in Toronto in 2016 that left thousands of students stranded, the Ombudsman conducted an investigation and made recommendations to two boards and their transportation consortium, aimed at better planning and communication with parents. The changes were implemented in Toronto, and other boards and consortia in the province have emulated a number of them.

Integrity commissioners and codes of conduct: Recent legislative changes have enhanced the accountability requirements for school board trustees, including mandatory codes of conduct, standardized sanctions for breaches of those codes, and access to integrity commissioners – all of which reflected several of the Ombudsman’s proposals for improved governance, made in submissions to the government since 2017.

Transparency in school closings: A controversial decision to close a Northern Ontario school in 2017 prompted the Ombudsman to recommend changes to the board’s processes; it accepted all the recommendations and created a new governance manual.

Open meetings: Under the Education Act, all meetings of boards of trustees and committees of those boards must be open to the public, with a few narrow exceptions. The Ombudsman has investigated several such meetings that were closed to the public, and made recommendations to the boards to improve their practices and transparency.

Best practices: In response to the most common and recurring complaints received about school boards, Ombudsman staff routinely share best practices with boards. These include guidance on creating fair policies related to enrolment, student transfers, public conduct and access restrictions.

Examples of how Ombudsman staff helped in individual school board cases:

  • A board’s transportation consortium apologized and improved its training of drivers after a 4-year-old boy was dropped at the wrong stop and left standing alone by the side of the road.
  • A board reviewed the suspension of a student, resulting in an apology to his family and an investigation to prevent further wrongful suspensions.
  • A board superintendent and school administrators met with a grandmother about a safety plan for her granddaughter, who raised concerns about being bullied at school.
  • Board officials reversed a refusal to allow a boy with autism to ride on the bus for children with special needs.
  • A board apologized to a First Nations grandparent and made staffing and training changes after the grandparent complained that medicated lice shampoo was used on their grandchild at school without their consent.
  • A board reviewed a mother’s concerns about the grade  for her child with autism.
  • A board bypassed its waiting list for online learning during the COVID-19 shutdown to accommodate the child of an immunocompromised woman.
  • A board arranged a unique busing plan for a student with special needs who needed an adult to accompany him at all times.
  • A child was readmitted to classes after her school incorrectly said she couldn’t return because she needed nursing support.
  • A Francophone student who couldn’t attend school due to his specific needs was able to access special programming in French.
  • A board apologized to a mother who complained that she was never informed when her son hit his head at school.
  • A board developed a protocol for contacting police after a high school student complained to the Ombudsman that her school called police to remove her from school property.

  • A review of more than 300 complaints about a school’s name change determined that the board acted in accordance with its policies, regulations and governance by-laws.

     

  • Read more individual cases about school boards
  • Statistics on cases received for each board are reported every year in the Ombudsman’s Annual Reports


For more information, contact:
Linda Williamson, Director of Communications
lwilliamson@ombudsman.on.ca
416-319-7391


About Ombudsman Ontario: Fifty years ago, Ontario became Canada’s seventh province to establish an independent, impartial Ombudsman institution to protect the people’s right to fair treatment by public bodies. The office has handled more than 1 million complaints and inquiries and conducted hundreds of investigations, resulting in more than 1,300 recommendations. Most recommendations have been implemented, benefiting millions of Ontarians. Today, the Ombudsman’s mandate extends to all provincial government bodies, municipalities, universities and school boards, as well as children’s services and French language services. Ombudsman Ontario’s 50th anniversary logo incorporates the image of a gryphon, an updated version of the insignia the office chose in 1975 to symbolize its role as a protector of rights.