April 28th, 2021

This is a reminder about the WRDSB Student Census. If you have a child in Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3, you will have received an email invitation with the subject ‘WRDSB 2021 Student Census’.

What if you can’t find the email? 

For many parents/guardians, emails have been filtered to spam folders. If you have not seen the email, please check your spam folder. If your invitation is not in your inbox or spam folder, you can reach out to the Research Department at research@wrdsb.ca and they will send you a new email invitation.

What about students in Grades 4 and up?

If you have children in Grade 4 or higher, they will have received an invitation through their WRDSB email address. They will be supported during the school day by teachers and staff to complete the census for themselves. For more information about the Student Census, please visit our Student Census website at www.wrdsb.ca/studentcensus.

What is the Student Census?

The WRDSB Student Census is a confidential and voluntary survey for all parents/guardians of students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3 and for all students in Grades 4 to 12. The goal of the student census is to better understand the diversity of students within the WRDSB. The census will allow us to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural, social and demographic makeup of our students.

Why are we launching the Student Census?

This work is mandated for all school boards in Ontario under the Provincial Anti-Racism Act. Our process has been developed in accordance with the guidance and legislation provided by the Ministry of Education, the Anti-Racism Directorate, the Ontario Human Rights Commission, and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The role of the WRDSB is to support the census process for students and families and to make the best use of the information that is gathered. This is an opportunity for us to learn more about the students we support and help us to identify differences and gaps in our students’ experiences and outcomes, based on their diverse needs.

How are we protecting privacy and confidentiality?

The WRDSB Student Census is confidential, but it is not anonymous. Individual student information will never be shared or included in reports. A small number of WRDSB research and information technology staff will be able to match census responses to student email addresses and identification numbers but only when required for the purposes of conducting research. In all reports, student information will be combined with the information of other students in a way that will not allow individual students to be identified. The WRDSB Student Census process follows provincial freedom of information and privacy laws (i.e., Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, MFIPPA). Detailed information on our privacy and data security protocols is available on the Student Census webpage.

For more information about the Student Census, you can visit the Student Census webpage.

Thank you for being part of the WRDSB Student Census process!

Translation of the information about the census can be found HERE