Human Rights Roles, Responsibilities and Accountability Framework - Appendix A

Employee Roles and Duty Bearer Responsibilities

1.1 All employees have individual roles, responsibilities and accountability for human rights, anti-discrimination and anti-racism in District services, employment and learning and working
environments as set out in:

The Human Rights Policy and related procedures; and
Legislation, other policies and procedures, collective agreements (where applicable) and professional standards governing conduct (where applicable).

1.2 In addition, all employees contribute to shared organizational responsibilities to create and contribute to learning and working environments that centre human rights and equity and that are welcoming, safe, respectful, equitable, inclusive, accessible and free from discrimination, oppression, harassment and harm.

1.3 The Director of Education and/or designates is/are responsible for the operations of the District
and implementing (or overseeing the implementation of):

Organizational requirements to uphold the Human Rights Policy and procedures; and
Initiatives, practices and measures to support all employees in complying with the Human
Rights Policy and procedures.

Organizational Responsibilities

1.4 The District, through the Director of Education and/or designates, will:

Engage and consult with diverse communities, including enhancing existing or developing new relationships with communities and networks;
Integrate human rights, anti-discrimination, anti-racism, inclusive design, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accessibility principles into organizational operational, service related and employment related policies, procedures, practices, rules, programs, initiatives and informal and formal decision making;
Identify, prevent and address discriminatory and inequitable impacts, practices, processes, experiences, barriers and outcomes in all aspects of:
- Pedagogical and teaching/instructional approaches and practices, educational program
  delivery and all classroom/school practices;
- Recruitment, selection, promotion and retention and all human resources practices and decisions;
- Initiatives and programs, including school and board improvement, learning, operational and strategic plans and priorities;
- Training, learning, professional development, performance and succession plans and decision making;
- Business planning, processes and decisions (for example, procurements, budgets, resources, etc.);
- Communications;
- Evaluation and reporting;
- Community engagement; and
- Organizational change processes, assessments and decision making;
Communicate about human rights related accountabilities so that all employees recognize and understand their individual and organizational roles and responsibilities and how their decisions and actions must uphold human rights and prevent discrimination;
Fulfill its legal duty to accommodate Human Rights Code and Human Rights Policy related needs to the point of undue hardship;
Provide students, parents/guardians, employees and community members with information, tools, resources, and processes to identify and raise potential discriminatory practices, exercise their rights, and provide feedback on their Human Rights Policy-related experiences in DDSB learning and working environments;
Not condone, ignore, or continue discriminatory practices;
Have in place transparent, fair, accessible and effective processes to address human rights accommodation requests, issues, incidents, and complaints:
Implement additional actions/initiatives as may be required to meet the objectives of the Human Rights Policy and procedures;
Work with education sector and other partners to raise potential human rights issues in their processes/practices that impact District students, employees and communities; and
Measure, evaluate and report on organizational human rights performance.

1.5 To support these organizational responsibilities, the Director of Education and/or designates will:

Set clear direction and expectations to help employees at all levels fulfill individual and organizational roles, responsibilities and accountabilities for human rights, antidiscrimination, anti-racism, inclusivedesign, UDL and accessibility;
Build capacity and competencies and provide professional learning and training to equip employees with knowledge and skills to:
- Support the implementation of the Human Rights Policy and procedures;
- Identify, prevent, and address discrimination and discriminatory barriers; and
- Apply human rights, anti-discrimination and anti-racism principles and approaches in day-to-day activities and decision making;
Integrate and embed human rights, anti-discrimination, and anti-racism into:
- Recommendations to the Board of Trustees to inform the Board’s decision making;
- Strategic priorities, operational strategies, initiatives and action plans;
- Operational functions, policies, procedures and practices, including (and not limited to) those related to pedagogical and teaching/instructional practices, student assessment, placement, guidance, supports, resources and discipline;
- Employment and human resources functions, policies, procedures and practices, including (and not limited to) job descriptions, hiring practices, supervision, performance appraisals, performance management, promotion practices, succession planning, termination, exits and safe and respectful workplaces;
- Mental health and well-being initiatives;
- Organizational learning plans and other job expectations;
- Financial and business planning and relationships including:
  - Equitable budget and resource allocation recommendations that include human rights barrier identification, removal and accommodation costs that are appropriately spread as widely as possible throughout the organization; and
  - Procurement processes, vendor and service provider selection, community use of schools permits, etc.
- Research and evaluation;
- Community engagement and partnerships, including School Community Councils;
- Communications and reporting;
Develop fair, effective and efficient human rights accommodation, issue, incident and complaint resolution mechanisms;
Prevent and correct human rights violations and uphold individual and organizationalobligations and accountabilities;
Monitor, evaluate and report on progress, including collecting and analyzing data to identify
potential issues and trends;
Act on and address results, findings and trends to support ongoing organizational learning and growth;
Support Human Rights Policy commitments, champion an organizational culture of human rights, and promote human rights, anti-discrimination and anti-racism as core competencies and practices;
Raise systemic human rights related policy or other issues that affect the District’s services, employment and learning and working environments to the Board of Trustees, education/community partners or the Ministry of Education, as appropriate;
Strengthen Board of Trustee governance through the provision of training on human rights, anti-discrimination and anti-racism principles and the scope, use and results of identitybased datacollection and analyses within the District;
Monitor and assess organizational compliance with this procedure and:
- Revise or remove procedures and practices that conflict with the Human Rights Policy and procedures;
- Implement new procedures, actions or initiatives that proactively promote and support human rights, anti-discrimination and anti-racism; and
- Hold direct reports accountable for complying with individual and shared organizational roles and responsibilities set out in the Human Rights Policy and procedures; and
Put in place appropriate organizational structures and allocate sufficient resources and
expertise to:
- Implement requirements and meet the objectives of the Human Rights Policy and procedures; this may include additional actions as may be required to meet the policy’s objectives; and
- Support this critical work.

1.6 The Director and/or designates shall include, reflect and assess the requirements of the Human Rights Policy and procedures and/or responsibilities and accountabilities in:

Recommendations to the Board of Trustees on the Board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plans;
Strategic and operational priorities, goals, strategies and initiatives;
Organizational leadership and system learning and professional development plans;
System department and school improvement/learning plans;
Protocols for inclusion in all employee performance appraisals and learning plans;
All other service/operational and employment, practices, procedures and decision-making processes; and
All other mechanisms listed under the Accountability Mechanisms section of this framework.

Employee Responsibilities

1.7 All employees shall implement and comply with the Human Rights Policy and procedures within the scope of their job duties, role, authority and influence and must:

Model human rights positive behaviour and not engage in any form of discrimination or harassment;
Ground decisions and actions in District policies and procedures;
Support and contribute to safe, welcoming, respectful, inclusive, accessible and equitable learning and working environments;
Engage in ongoing learning and professional development to:
- Strengthen human rights, anti-discrimination and anti-racism knowledge, skills and
  competencies; and
- Recognize how positionality, power, privilege and discriminatory biases, beliefs, assumptions, stereotypes, ideologies, inequities and barriers operate in District learning and working environments and in individual practices;
Apply human rights, anti-discrimination and anti-racism principles, practices and approaches (including inclusive design, UDL and accessibility principles) in all work, interactions, actions and decision making; this includes:
- Addressing human rights obligations when applying other policies, procedures and
  practices;
- Examining practices and decision making to consider potential discriminatory barriers and inequitable experiences, processes, effects and outcomes, including impacts on students, families, employees and communities that may be discriminatory and may unintentionally cause trauma and harm;
- Act in ways that uphold the rights of the child/student and the rights of employees, are in the best interests of the child/student, are asset-based, do not cause or perpetuate harm and are not discriminatory (for example, adjust practices to prevent or address potential discrimination);
Report potential discrimination and discriminatory barriers to their supervisor/manager;
Intervene to stop all forms of harassment or discrimination against a student(s) and report it to their supervisor/manager through appropriate processes;
Not interfere with human rights issue or complaint resolution processes;
Participate in and cooperate fully with information gathering or investigation procedures, as may be required to respond to a human rights issue, incident or complaint;
Not engage in reprisal actions against students (or their family members/guardians), employees or community members who raise human rights related issues, incidents, concerns, accommodation requests or complaints, or who participate in issue, incident or complaint resolution processes; and
Support and contribute to the organizational responsibilities outlined in the Human Rights

Policy and procedures.

1.8 All employees, within the scope of their job duties, role, authority and influence, will comply with the Code, Anti-Racism Act and AODA and shall be informed by, apply and incorporate the principles and requirements of and/or implement the following in their work:

The Indigenous Education Policy and related procedures;
The DDSB’s Accessibility Plan;
Inclusive design, UDL and differentiated instruction, assessment and evaluation;
The Equity Continuum: Action for Critical Transformation in Schools and Classrooms;
Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy (CRRP) and critically conscious practitioner inquiries (CCPI);
The Compendium of Action for Black Student Success; and
Additional new tools and resources to support anti-discrimination, as they are developed and become available.

1.9 In addition, all employees who interact with students (including but not limited to schoolbased administrators, educators, professional services staff and support staff) will:

Create conditions that support welcoming, safe, inclusive, accessible, equitable learning environments, opportunities, experiences and outcomes for students;
Treat students equitably, with dignity, respect and care, and respond to individual and intersecting identities, strengths, barriers, needs, circumstances and other factors that influence individual student learning and experiences;
Critically examine and reflect on how positionality, systems of power, privileges, biases and ideologies operate and affect their decisions, actions and interactions in classrooms and schools (for example, relating to educational philosophies, pedagogical and teaching/instructional approaches, class rulesand routines, instructional materials and resources, student assessment, placement, programming needs, evaluation, classroom management, guidance practices, office referrals, referralsto the police and Children’s Aid Society, discipline, clinical and professional services and practices, resources and support for students, school activities and events, parent/guardian and community engagement, etc.) and how this affects students;
Not take part in, condone or allow discrimination in learning environments; and
Confront, challenge and disrupt discriminatory practices, barriers and inequities in student learning environments and services and adjust practices and approaches and address barriers as required to support equitable opportunities, processes, experiences and outcomes. This includes reviewing and addressing class/school data findings and trends.

1.10 In addition, administrators, system leads, managers/supervisors and superintendents shall:

Communicate about this procedure to students/families and employees (and, where needed, make accessible copies available) so that they are aware of obligations, rights, responsibilities and how to request accommodation and raise/report human rights issues, incidents and complaints;
Provide the Human Rights Policy and related procedures to all existing and new staff;
Create and maintain learning and working environments that are free from discrimination, oppression, harassment and harm;
Take steps to immediately act on and address human rights accommodation requests, issues, complaints and observations or allegations of discrimination or harassment (including potential poisoned learning or working environments); this includes acting upon becoming aware of potential discrimination, even in the absence of formal or written complaint;
Not condone discrimination;
Implement policies, procedures and initiatives in ways that align with human rights obligations and that assess and address potential discriminatory barriers, experiences, outcomes and impacts;
Incorporate and apply human rights, anti-discrimination, anti-racist, equity, inclusive design and accessibility principles and competencies in job descriptions/requirements, outreach, recruitment, hiring and selection decisions, onboarding, supervision policies and practices, coaching, mentoring, performance appraisals, performance management, promotions, succession planning and staffing decisions;
Provide learning and professional development opportunities for employees to enhance their understanding of human rights, racism, ableism, sexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, faithism,classism and other forms of discrimination, including intersectionality;
Hold staff accountable for complying with the Human Rights Policy and procedures by:
- Assessing human rights, anti-discrimination and anti-racism competencies and skills and meeting human rights roles and responsibilities in (among other things) recruitment (for example, job descriptions, selection criteria, etc.) supervision/coaching, learning plans, performance appraisals and performance management; and
- In consultation with Human Resources, and in accordance with the principles of progressive discipline, taking appropriate responsive, remedial, restorative and/or corrective action (including discipline up to and including termination of employment) to address human rights performance concerns and policy violations;
Address potential resistance to initiatives and strategies that challenge discriminatory ideologies, practices and inequities and that promote increased access to, and opportunities and participation for, groups that are discriminated against;
Build and sustain relationships and regularly engage District community members on initiatives that affect them;
Champion and promote initiatives that support human rights organizational change and that address barriers, disparities and disproportionate experiences, processes and outcomes based on Prohibited Grounds; and
Incorporate the commitments, objectives and requirements of the Human Rights Policy and procedures in school and/or system department learning plans and initiatives.

1.11 To support these requirements, all employees shall include, reflect and assess human rights. anti-discrimination and anti-racism roles, responsibilities and accountabilities in their:

Individual learning and professional development plans and performance plans and/or appraisals; and
Contributions to meet the requirements of school learning or system department implementation plans.

Accountability

1.12 All employees are expected to:

Adhere to the Human Rights Policy and procedures, including the requirements set out in
this framework; and
Not engage in behaviour and/or express views, share materials, discuss or teach content that is contrary to or inconsistent with the Human Rights Policy, the Human Rights Code and the Education Act in the DDSB’s services, employment and learning and working environments.

1.13 Employees who do not comply with these requirements are subject to corrective action, including discipline up to and including termination of employment, subject to the principles of progressive discipline. Each situation and all relevant factors will be considered on a case-by-case basis in consultation with Human Resources and in accordance with the principles of progressive discipline.

1.14 For some employee groups, the District may also have obligations to report substantiated findings of discrimination or harassment to applicable employee professional associations and colleges.

School Community Councils

1.15 School Community Councils will comply with the Human Rights Policy and procedures within the scope of their mandate, responsibilities and activities and in ways that promote and uphold human rights, anti-discrimination and anti-racism principles and actions.