Take Action

School Board Research publishes the evidence. What happens next depends on parents, trustees, and the public record. This page sets out the steps for acting on a policy finding, in the order that tends to work, and it is honest about what each step can and cannot do.

Which route applies? If your concern is about something happening to your child day to day, the usual order is classroom teacher → principal → school superintendent. The steps here are for acting on a policy finding, where the issue is the board’s written policy rather than a single classroom. You can also contact your elected trustee at any point (see below) — you do not have to work through the levels in order.

1. Read the policy and the finding

Start with the requirement itself. Our Reports set out what each provincial policy requires and where board policies fall short. Naming the specific clause at issue makes every step below more effective.

2. Write to your Director of Education

The Director of Education is accountable for the board’s policies. A short, specific letter that names the requirement and asks for a written response is the most direct first step on a policy concern.

Dear [Director of Education],

I am a parent of a student in [board name]. I am writing about the board’s obligations under [policy, e.g. PPM 128 Code of Conduct].

School Board Research has found that [describe the specific requirement not met]. I would like to know how the board meets this requirement, and if it does not, what steps and timeline are in place to address it.

Please reply in writing. I intend to follow up.

Sincerely,
[Your name] · [Contact details]

3. Escalate to the Ministry of Education and your MPP

If the board does not respond or does not act, raise it in writing with the province. Contact the Ontario Ministry of Education (telephone 416-325-2929, toll-free 1-800-387-5514, or the contact form on that page; mailing address 315 Front Street West, 14th Floor, Toronto ON M7A 0B8), and copy your local MPP. Name your board and the specific policy. The Ministry sets the requirement; putting non-compliance on its desk in writing, with your MPP copied, is how it becomes a political question rather than a private one.

Your trustee: available at any time

You do not have to save your trustee for last. Trustees are your elected representatives, and the board they form is the body that approves board policy. You can write to the trustee for your area at any point, or bring a finding to a public board meeting as a delegation. A trustee will not act as your personal representative, but they can put a policy question on the board’s agenda, where it becomes part of the public record.

What these channels can and cannot do

Be clear-eyed about the limits. No single channel can force a board to adopt a compliant policy. The Ontario Ombudsman reviews whether a board followed a fair process and treated you reasonably; it does not enforce compliance with Ministry policy or the Education Act, so it is the right step only if the board ignored its own procedures or treated you unfairly, not a way to compel a policy fix. The Ministry sets requirements but rarely enforces them against a board directly. In practice, a board can decline to adopt or publish a compliant policy and face no immediate penalty. That is precisely the gap this project documents. Which is why the point of these steps is not a single knockout remedy. It is to build a public record and apply steady, collective pressure: written requests the board has to answer, findings on the public agenda, non-compliance on the Ministry’s and your MPP’s desk, and parents acting together. Boards move when the record is clear and the pressure is sustained.

Connect with other parents

Pressure is more effective together. Our directory of Ontario parent advocacy groups lists organizations working on education and school accountability across the province.

Contact School Board Research

We welcome corrections, additions to our directory, tips, and general inquiries. We read every message but may not be able to respond to all of them. If a board believes a finding is incorrect, tell us the specific policy language that addresses the requirement and we will review it.

Email School Board Research