Page 124 - Special Education in Ontario, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Resource Guide

Special Education in Ontario, Kindergarten to Grade 12 Draft The School Board Response to Receiving a
Notice of Appeal
After receiving the request for an appeal, the school board sets the appeal process in motion. It is suggested that the board assign one or more staff who are not involved in the appeal to handle the arrangements for setting up the SEAB.
Selection of Appeal Board Members
Within fifteen days of the school board’s receiving the notice of appeal: • the school board selects one person to be a member of the SEAB; and
• the parent selects one person to be a member of the SEAB.
Though parents will often request that a local association recommend one of its members as their selection for the appeal board, they are not limited to this choice. Where the parents are unfamiliar with the local associations operating within the jurisdiction of the school board, the school board should be prepared to provide the parents with a list of Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) members and/or a list of local associations eligible for membership on SEAC.
Within fifteen days of the selections of the parent and school board representatives, these two appeal board members will select a chair. It may be helpful for a school board, in advance of any requests for an SEAB, to compile a list of people who they believe are suitable and willing to act as chair. The list may include people from other boards, retired educators, or SEAC members from other boards. A prepared list, with résumés, may help the two members select the chair.
If the appeal board members cannot agree on a chair, the manager of the district office of the Ministry of Education may be asked to select the chair.
No appeal board member should have had any prior involvement with the matter under appeal, nor should the member be an employee or member of the school board or an employee of the Ministry of Education.
(See Ontario Regulation 181/98, subsections 27 (1), (4), and (5))
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