Petition to the National Assembly of Québec
CALL from the COMMUNITY for the INTERVENTION of EDUCATION MINISTER SÉBASTIEN PROULX regarding ETHICS and LBPSB CHAIRPERSON SUANNE STEIN DAY

As concerned members of the community we expect our School Board and its Commissioners to work professionally and responsibly with a primary focus of consistent improvement of our English public school system. We cannot accept compromise for our children’s education. We specifically expect our Commissioners, who are elected officials, to carry out their duties respectfully and with a high standard of integrity that honours the Code of Ethics. We request the intervention of Education Minister Sébastien Proulx for among the following reasons:
• It has been officially established that the Chairperson of the Council of Commissioners of the Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB) was found guilty of unprofessional conduct violating the School Board’s Code of Ethics on three separate occasions;
• The Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct of the Lester B. Pearson School Board states:
▪ In the Preamble (Section 3): “The primary role of a Commissioner is to ensure that a quality public education program is available taking into consideration the best interests of the school board as a whole and its students and the local constituency he/she represents. The Council of Commissioners acts in accordance with the relevant Quebec statutes and regulations to implement provincial education standards and policies, as well as informs and partners with the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport. To fulfill its mandate, the Council of Commissioners must work together and with all its stakeholders in a learning and working environment characterized by common purpose, mutual respect and integrity.”
▪ In Behaviour (Section 5.6): “Commissioners must, at all times, behave in a professional and respectful manner in their dealings with Council, staff, the school community, the public and other bodies.”
• The School Board has incurred over $80,000 in legal expenses related to the investigation following the Chairperson’s unethical behavior, which represents funds better directed to the ethical management of public education for the good of our children;

With the knowledge that current internal ethics regulations are designed to keep individuals who violate ethical conduct and respectful professionalism unaccountable, and are also designed to bind the School Board and its Commissioners into silence and the inability to apply consequences to the violation that would be to the benefit of the community it represents,
AND with the knowledge that the Minister of Education CAN intervene and right this wrong,
WE THE UNDERSIGNED ASK
That the Ministre de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport intervenes immediately to secure the resignation of current LBPSB Chairperson, Suanne Stein Day so that the Lester B. Pearson School Board can move forward with its mandate to govern with responsible good citizenship the community it represents