Home and School Federation’s democratic moment
In Island schools this spring, change is arriving on our lunch trays as well as in our classrooms. At the Prince Edward Island Home and School Federation, March and April are about nourishing students’ bodies, minds, and sense of belonging—with healthy food, safer school cultures, and celebrations of the people who make that possible.
PEI’s new School Food Environment Policy aims to make healthy eating easy. That means vegetables, fruit, protein foods, and whole grains are to be offered most often, aligning school food with Canada’s Food Guide. Highly processed foods like takeout pizza, French fries, hot dogs, chips, and cookies are no longer regular fixtures; principals can choose to offer these foods only occasionally—up to once a month or ten times a year. Sugary drinks and drinks with sugar substitutes, including pop, diet pop, fruit juice, iced tea, sports drinks, and energy drinks, are off the school menu, with water, white milk, and unsweetened plant-based beverages promoted as the healthiest choices.
Just as important as the menu is the message: everyone should feel included in the school food environment. The policy explicitly recognizes that students arrive with diverse cultural food traditions, allergies, medical needs, and experiences of food insecurity, and insists that all students deserve to feel they belong at the table.
It also encourages schools to consider environmental sustainability, from buying local where possible to reducing waste, so that what nourishes our children also supports our communities and our planet. Student voice is not an afterthought. Young people are to be involved in shaping their school food environment, in suggesting menu items, tasting new recipes, and helping to design foods that work for them. Families continue to decide what goes into lunches from home. For that the policy does not apply. The policy does set a clear standard for what schools provide.
PLANNING FOR APRIL 18 AGM
This focus on health and inclusion at the lunch table connects directly to the Federation’s theme for its 73rd AGM & Spring Conference: “Stop Bullying. Start Belonging.”
On April 18, parents, guardians, teachers, and school staff from across the Island will gather at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel for a day of learning, dialogue, and decision-making focused on building safer, more welcoming school communities.
Keynote speaker Alain Pelletier will present “5 Faces of Bullying,” a session that helps adults recognize the many forms bullying can take, and will also lead a workshop that goes deeper into these patterns.
Participants can also attend a session with the RCMP Child Exploitation Unit, led by Cst. Robert Yaschuk, and a workshop on “Food, Finance, and Fundamentals,” reflecting the Federation’s commitment to both student safety and the conditions that support student well-being.
The AGM is not just a conference; it is the Federation’s democratic moment. Each local Home and School Association that paid its membership fees may appoint up to five voting delegates, and all parents and educators are welcome to attend and add their voices to the conversation.
In the lead-up to April 18, proposed 2026 resolutions are circulated to local presidents and executive members for discussion and votes at March meetings, ensuring that the positions taken at the provincial table are grounded in school-level conversations. Locals are being urged to support their delegates—by covering registration fees, travel, and even a Friday night hotel room and dinner—recognizing that volunteer leadership is one of the most valuable resources in our education system.
MARCH INCLUSIVE WAYS OF LEARNING
March is also a month of learning and celebration beyond the AGM. The Federation is shining a light on the quiet leaders in our schools. Nominations are open for the Volunteer of the Year Award, which honours one individual whose efforts have strengthened their local school community. Members are also invited to nominate candidates to serve on the Federation’s provincial board of directors for 2026–2027, helping to shape education policy and collaboration across Island schools.
Taken together, these initiatives reflect a simple conviction: when we feed students well, ensure they are safe from bullying, listen to their voices, and recognize the adults who stand beside them, we are doing more than managing a school year, we are building a culture of belonging.
In the months ahead, the Home and School Federation will continue to invite parents, educators, and community partners to the table, asking them not only to stop harmful behaviours but to help design healthier, more inclusive ways of learning and living together in Island schools.
—David Schult, president of the P.E.I. Home and School Federation, lives in Charlottetown with his wife and two children, who attend UP.E.I. and Colonel Gray Senior High School. For more information, go to www.peihsf.ca or call 902-620-3186.