Latest news with #VancouverSchoolBoard
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Student changing incident at Vancouver school not criminal, police say
There was nothing criminal about an incident at a Vancouver school that raised the concerns of a local mother earlier this month, according to police. Jasmine Barahona spoke out after her six-year-old son returned home from χpey̓ Elementary on May 7 wearing different clothes, and told her a man had changed him in the school's basement. The incident prompted separate investigations from the Vancouver School Board and the Vancouver Police Department, and a school district staff member was placed on leave. On Thursday, police confirmed their investigation has concluded. 'It was determined no criminal offence occurred,' Const. Tania Visintin told CTV News, in a statement. Visintin also said the mother 'did the right thing' by coming forward. 'Any time anyone comes forward with safety concerns or safety concerns for their child, we will absolutely conduct a thorough investigation,' she added. Contacted for comment, Barahona told CTV News she had not been informed of the outcome of the investigation – and that she still has questions about what happened at the school. 'All I wanted was answers,' Barahona said, of her decision to speak out. The mother said she's been told the incident happened because an employee thought her son 'looked wet.' 'His story was that he let (my son) pick out clothes in this room, then he stood outside as he got dressed and said, 'If you need help, say so.' And he said he did, and then helped him pull up his pants,' Barahona said. The mother said she's received inconsistent messages from the district and police, leaving her skeptical about the process. She pulled her son out of class following the incident, and remains unsure about allowing him to return. The Vancouver School Board told CTV News its internal investigation is ongoing. A spokesperson could not provide any information on the process, citing privacy concerns, but said the district is taking the mother's concerns 'very seriously.' 'Our top priority is student safety and well-being,' the spokesperson said. With files from CTV News Vancouver's Isabella Zavarise
Vancouver Sun
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Vancouver council reinstates funding for school meal programs
Vancouver council will reinstate full funding for school meal programs after a unanimous vote of support on Wednesday. The motion, from councillors Peter Fry and Rebecca Bligh, came after council reported earlier this month that it was reducing funding for school food programs from $320,000 in 2024 to $162,500 in 2025. This decision was made based on an expectation that the provincial and federal governments had agreed to increase funding to school food programs. However, according to Fry, the provincial and federal government funding model meant the Vancouver School Board would not receive enough to bridge the gap. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim shared an emotional memory of his mom being arrested for shoplifting due to the family's food insecurity. 'I would see the fear in my mom's face,' Sim said. 'It is a real thing and make no mistake about it, as long as I am Mayor of the City of Vancouver regardless of whose responsibility it is, kids and families experiencing food insecurity will have my support.' Sim added an amendment to the motion asking the Ministry of Education to provide a 'clear explanation' about how food funding is distributed across B.C.'s 60 school districts, 'including how the socioeconomic status index is calculated and applied to ensure that Vancouver is receiving its fair share of federal funding. Since 2014, the city has provided $320,000 from its annual operating budget to support 3,500 meals each weekday through various programs, including the Food4Schools lunch program, which subsidizes meals to 258 students across 17 schools. In March 2025, the B.C. government entered into an agreement with the government of Canada through the national school food program, which provides about $39 million over three years in additional school food program funding. Fry said that the funding was allocated using a formula based on socioeconomic status for each school within the district. This 'needs assessment' model 'can inadvertently exclude some individuals who may not meet strict eligibility criteria but still face food insecurity,' said Fry. With a file from Denise Ryan dcarrigg@
CTV News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Vancouver council unanimously votes to re-instate funding for school meal program
City councillors unanimously approved a motion Wednesday to re-instate funding for the Vancouver School Board to provide meals to students in need. The motion, put forward by councillors Rebecca Bligh and Pete Fry, brings back $325,000 in annual support for the school meal program, until the VSB can secure alternative funding. The city previously announced it would reduce the funding to $162,500 due to budget pressures, and because of additional support coming from the B.C. government. 'We had sort of been told by staff that we were going to sunset that funding because there was new funding coming in,' explained Fry. 'We then learned that that funding would be insufficient to meet the needs.' The VSB learned in April that the anticipated funding allocations would be 'substantially reduced based on a provincial formula socioeconomic status index,' according to the motion. Bligh and Fry's motion also requires Mayor Ken Sim to push both the provincial and federal governments to step up, something he said he fully supports. 'The city stepped up in the past when, you know, senior levels of government didn't deal with their accountability – because it is a senior-level government accountability,' said Sim. The reversal was celebrated by school board trustees, who were alarmed when the city reduced the program's funding. 'Of course, it's never enough,' said board chair Victoria Jung, speaking outside council chambers Wednesday. 'The goal is universal food, universal food for all – and so we'll continue to ask for more funding, and to advocate for students and K-12 education in Vancouver.' Sim said there are funding gaps in the province, with students in Vancouver receiving less than those in Surrey. He said he'll be asking the province to address those concerns and to provide full transparency in how funding is distributed across B.C.'s 60 school districts. 'We are asking the province to be a little, you know, transparent in the sense that – show us how you allocate the funding, show us the formula, and then, you know, address any inequities because at the end of the day we are dealing with vulnerable families,' the mayor said. Sim also said the Vancouver School Board never raised concerns about the city's funding cut when it was first notified, which he called 'disappointing.' 'They had months to bring this forward during the city's budget process,' he said. Bligh said she's happy all councillors are on board with re-instating the funding. 'I am really grateful for the cross-partisan support on this issue,' she said. 'Universality around the school food program is the ultimate goal.' The city has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to the VSB annually in support of various food programs since 2014, serving 3,500 meals to students each day.
CBC
27-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Vancouver School Board warns staff of potential privacy breach after 'fraudulent activity'
Social Sharing The Vancouver School Board (VSB) says it is investigating a cybersecurity incident involving its online banking systems that may have exposed some employee information. In a statement to CBC News, the board said it learned about the incident on Wednesday and immediately secured its platform. It says information belonging to employees, tuition fee-payers and vendors may have been placed at risk but that there is no current evidence that data was accessed. "Out of an abundance of caution, we are advising all potentially impacted individuals and companies of this incident," VSB said. "It is important to note that this incident does not impact information of other students and their families." The Vancouver Police Department has been notified and the VSB says it is following protocols set by the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner while the investigation continues. "We are committed to maintaining the confidentiality of the impacted individuals and are taking protective measures to prevent further fraud attempts." A letter obtained by CBC News and sent to all VSB employees offers additional details about the breach and advises staff to remain vigilant. WATCH | Your kid's school just sent a cyber incident email. What does it mean? Your kid's school just sent a cyber incident email. What does it mean? 4 months ago Duration 4:12 Cybersecurity expert Ivo Wiens parses some recent cyberattack emails from Canadian school boards, shares what he looks out for and flags questions parents should be asking when (not if) these land in your inbox. According to the letter, there is a potential risk that the attackers may have unlawfully obtained employee names, bank account details, pay amounts and VSB identification numbers. The notice specifies that affected bank account information is limited to accounts used for payroll within the last 180 days. "We are advising all employees to monitor their bank accounts carefully and to contact their financial institution for advice on steps they should be taking given this potential unlawful access to information," the letter reads. Employees are also encouraged to review fraud and identity theft prevention resources. The letter adds that support is available, including help to change payroll deposit information.
CBC
14-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Vancouver school bus drivers, attendants face pay cut below living wage standards
Social Sharing About 200 bus drivers and attendants contracted by the Vancouver School Board (VSB) have been told their wages will be cut as the VSB will stop being a living wage employer. VSB became a living wage employer in 2022, topping up workers' pay, including contractors, to a living wage — which is calculated based on what two full-time working adults need to earn per hour to meet the basic needs of a family of four, including buying food, paying rent, and other bills. But on April 4, workers were told in an email from their employer First Student Inc. that the school board's living wage supplement had "come to an earlier-than-anticipated close," according to the email viewed by CBC News. "This is terrible news for those workers, who are among the lowest-paid workers at the Vancouver School Board," said Bill Tieleman, spokesperson for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 963. The workers whose wages are being reduced are not unionized, according to Tieleman. "People in the workplace were crying, as we understand it, just wondering how they're going to make ends meet." Metro Vancouver's living wage in 2024 was $27.05 per hour. Drivers have been told that their wages will drop to $23.40 per hour, while attendants will have their wages sink to $19.65 per hour. VSB said the changes will be in effect "no sooner than" July 1. "With significant yearly fluctuations in the Living Wage rate, VSB can no longer certify as a Living Wage [B.C.] employer and will not be providing contractors with supplemental funding to provide their employees with wages that align with Living Wage [B.C.'s] hourly rate," the board said in a statement to CBC News. 'Incredibly disappointed' Advocacy organization Living Wage B.C. said it's "incredibly disappointed" that VSB will stop being a living wage employer. "At a time when all of us need to come together to face unprecedented economic threats, it has never been more important that workers earn a Living Wage," said provincial manager Anastasia French in a statement. "We urge the VSB to change course and work with partners to find a solution which ensures that all of their direct and contracted staff can earn a Living Wage." VSB said the Public Sector Employers' Council Secretariat sets the mandate for compensation and bargaining for all school districts in the province, and has not mandated districts to provide a living wage. "As the VSB has multi-year collective agreements in place that expire on June 30, 2025, VSB does not have the ability at the local level to increase wages at this time," the school board said.
