Atlantic Caucus of Home and School/ School Councils Meet in Fredericton, NB.
The 9th Annual Atlantic Caucus of Home and School/School Council Federations meeting took place in Fredericton, NB on the weekend of October 29th, 2011. Representatives from the Home and School Federations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and the Federation of School Councils in Newfoundland Labrador participated in the meeting. Various topics of mutual concern were discussed over the two-day meeting, including the following items.
The Atlantic Caucus is pleased with Health Canada’s Proposed Approach to Managing Caffeinated Energy Drinks, and while it believes that this is a step in the right direction, it is not enough. In line with the Canadian Home and School Federation, we continue to call upon the Federal Health Minister and Health Canada to restrict the sale of energy drinks and energy boosting products to persons over the legal age of majority.
The Atlantic Caucus also calls upon government and school officials to address the practice of students being required to participate in fundraising activities to purchase equipment and supplies such as smart boards and playground equipment. Many families cannot support these activities to the levels expected and the Caucus believes that such purchases should be funded out of a school’s regular annual budget.
Finally, the Caucus challenges Department of Education officials within the Atlantic region to search for efficiencies in the provision of core curriculum supplies for our students – the cost of these supplies vary widely between schools and regions and the Caucus is concerned that a level playing field does not exist for all families. This may alleviate the burden placed on families who may not have the same capacity as others to provide essential school supplies to their children.
The Atlantic Caucus recognizes the challenges faced by government in providing the best education possible to our children and looks forward to the opportunity to provide further input and assistance to government in addressing these concerns.
For more information, contact:
Owen Parkhouse, President, PEIHS, Telephone 902-620-3186
Glyn Morgan, President, NBFHSAI, Telephone 506-451-6247
Vanda Dow, President, NSFHSA: Telephone 902-421-2663
Dave Pretty, President, NLFSC, Telephone 709-279-2789