Joshua Arless, Commissioner

As part of Anti-Racism Week, the Lester B. Pearson School Board partnered with Overture with the Arts to organize a series of lectures for schools to explore aspects of anti-Black racism. https://globalnews.ca//montreal-students-history-lesson-n/

Today is World Autism Awareness Day. Let’s continue to raise awareness and show our support to those living with autism in our community and their families.

There were already questions about the air quality tests the Quebec government conducted in schools. Now come allegations the education minister lied about public health signing off on the methodology. https://montrealgazette.com//hanes-even-before-this-weeks-

I am proud of our decision to purchase and install air purifiers in our classrooms even when Minister Roberge demanded not to. Quebec official opposition leader Dominique Anglade is calling for the resignation of Jean-Francois Roberge as minister of education, as she believes Roberge lied to Quebecers when he falsely claimed to have public health validation for CO2 testing in schools.

Everyone should feel free & safe to be who they are. On this Transgender Day of Visibility, I stand with my Trans siblings. Let's continue the important work to combat hatred while building a more inclusive world. #TDOV

Attention Dorval Teens and parents!

There seems to be something stuck on Sherbrooke! Lucky that Maple Grove Elementary and Lakeside Academy have a PED Day tomorrow!

To our incredibly hard working staff, please know that help is there when you need. -Josh

LESTER B. PEARSON SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTS RESOLUTION CALLING FOR TEACHERS AND OTHER SCHOOL STAFF TO BE PRIORITIZED FOR COVID-19 VACCINATIONS Dorval, January 26th 2021 At their regular monthly meeting yesterday, the Council of Commissioners of the Lester B. Pearson School Board unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the Quebec government to ensure staff working in schools and centres are considered essential employees and subsequently are viewed as a high priority group in th...e Quebec government’s current COVID-19 inoculation plan. For many months our teachers and other school employees have remained steadfast in their determination to ensure our students can continue to study in classes in the midst of a global pandemic. The Lester B. Pearson School Board would therefore like to add its voice to the growing chorus of educational institutions who would like to see teachers and other front-line staff considered as priorities under the current vaccination plan. said Mr. Noel Burke, Chairperson of the LBPSB’s Council of Commissioners. According to the current plan, teachers and school staff have been placed in the second to last step of the priority list with the exception of those who have underlying health conditions. Since the start of the pandemic, our staff have demonstrated their commitment to students and shown great resilience. With the return to classes last fall, our teachers, support staff, caretakers, professionals and administrators have had to adapt their practices so that student learning can continue in the safest environment possible. Like many other essential workers in other sectors of Quebec society, our personnel should be considered a priority for vaccination to reduce their risk of exposure to the coronavirus, said Cindy Finn, Director General of the LBPSB. The board’s Council of Commissioners maintains that prioritizing vaccinations for teachers and education workers will also add an extra layer of protection in terms of preventing the spread of the virus in its schools while reducing risks for school employees as well as students and their families. The Lester B. Pearson School Board is an English-language school board with over 5000 dedicated employees who serve over 22,000 students across its network of schools and centres.

Incredibly important program.

Monday's vote on banning the n-word is one of many steps needed to combat racism and discrimination. I look forward to receiving the Task Force on Equity and Inclusivity’s final report in June.

A message from Dr. Cindy Finn, Director-General of the Lester B. Pearson School Board Yesterday afternoon, Quebec’s Ministry of Education (Éducation Québec) made us aware that Public Health Agency of Canada issued an advisory regarding a specific type of procedural mask that the government purchased and provided to schools across Quebec. As a precautionary measure, these masks are being recalled by the provincial government. Once informed of this advisory, we immediately resp...onded by beginning a rapid review of our inventory in order to verify if masks by this specific supplier and with a particular production code were distributed to staff in our schools and centres. We can confirm that we did receive some of the masks in question earlier in the school year. We are now verifying whether any of these masks remain in our schools and centres. Should you have any procedural masks made by Metallifer(Code: SNN200642), please return them to your immediate supervisor. We are acting as quickly as possible as we hold the health and safety of our staff as our utmost priority. We will continue to provide you with any additional information that we receive regarding this matter as events warrant. Thank you for your understanding. Cindy Finn

Today being the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery, we honour and remember the memory of the millions who experienced the horrors of the Transatlantic slave trade.