All students are being asked to complete the census. Students in Grades 4 to 12 will complete the survey online at school, including LDSB Virtual School students. Families of students in Kindergarten to Grade 3 will be asked to complete the survey with their student(s) at home. School administrators will ensure that all students, including those attending alternative programs, receive an invitation to participate in the survey. 

Yes. All of the accommodations, supports and assistive technology necessary to ensure that every student has the opportunity to participate in the survey will be provided. 

Formal consent from families is not required. Legislation regarding participation of students in a Board-initiated survey intended for planning and programming purposes permits the collection of survey data. The survey is voluntary. Families can withdraw their child from participation in the survey by contacting their Principal.

Students in Grades 4 to 12 will be supported by staff who have been provided with various resources such as mentor texts to support them in helping students to prepare for the language and concepts of the survey.

Masculinity and femininity are common ways we describe another person’s gender expression, or how they externally present and convey their gender identity to others. Gender expression is one of the protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code. Since we are collecting demographic data based on human rights code protected grounds, this question is important to include. Along with, and separate from gender identity, it is critical to understand how gender expression is affecting students' experience at school, as research has shown that students who are read as gender non-conforming (i.e., who do not express gender like other people expect them to) report greater harassment and violence whether or not they are LGBTQ+. In other words, gender identity and sexual orientation do not necessarily predict gender-based harassment - gender expression does. This means that gender expression discrimination is an issue potentially experienced by a large proportion of Limestone students. The question, as written with the seven-point scale, has been validated by the most recent research on gender expression. Retaining their format is the most rigorous way to ask about gender expression since masculinity and femininity each have a very wide range.

The data collected through the census will help us learn more about Limestone students – their backgrounds, experiences and needs. Questions around a student’s socio-economic status (family education, wealth etc.) help to provide a full picture of a student and have been validated by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) and were recommended for inclusion by the Ministry of Education. Further, measuring the socio-economic status of students can be directly related to student achievement. The Ministry also provided boards with guidelines on how to ask these important questions.

The survey is confidential and all information collected is protected. As shared in earlier communication, we encourage families to discuss the questions with their student(s) to understand their responses.