Here I Am – Student Census

The Here I Am Student Census will:

• Collect identity and school experience data about the student population. Identity data includes Indigenous identity, race, ethnicity, languages, disability, sexual orientation, gender and more.   
• Support the work of the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Committee.
• Allow us to identify any unfair differences or inequities in our school system.
• Support the development and implementation of board and school improvement plans.

The collection of identity data is outlined in Ontario’s education equity action plan. It states, “Comparing identity-based student data with data on program enrolment, suspensions and expulsions, and graduation rates may reveal more precisely how certain groups are being disadvantaged, how to identify and remove systemic barriers to success and, accordingly, where to target our resources.” 

The survey questions are adapted from a template provided by the Ministry of Education and based on the Ontario Anti-Racism Act and Anti-Racism Data Standards.

The survey questions related to gender and sexual orientation (grades 9 to 12 only) are part of the template that was developed by the Ministry of Education to ensure compliance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, which protects individuals from discrimination based on gender identity or expression, and sexual orientation.

The open-ended response area allows individuals to identify as they wish. If anyone wishes not to respond to the questions, they can be skipped, as can any question on the survey.

The survey has 12 questions. It will take approximately 15 to 30 minutes to complete. You will need to complete the survey for every child in your household. Secondary school students will complete the survey themselves at school.

The survey asks about students’ experiences and identity, so it would be great for you to complete the survey alongside your younger child/children. For older children who can read themselves, you may consider letting them do the survey on their own, and you can be there to answer questions and help if needed.

Yes.

While the survey is confidential, it’s not anonymous. Your child’s unique student number will be tied to their responses. To use the information to help identify disparities in our system and evaluate programs, we need to look at the data alongside other data we already collect under the Education Act. 

School and board staff won’t access individual student information shared on the survey. Data will only be reviewed from a population level for the school board as a whole.

Information collected will be stored in a secure, confidential database in Canada and only be accessed by authorized data analysts. We’re committed to the highest levels of privacy and confidentiality in collecting information about students. We follow all privacy requirements outlined in the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).

We will analyze the data alongside other data to answer questions about: 

• Achievement gaps – whether certain groups of students achieve at the same rate 
• Suspension and expulsion rates – whether certain groups of students are suspended or expelled at a higher rate
• Streaming – whether certain groups of students are over or under-represented in particular programs or streams (e.g., academic versus applied courses; English with Core French versus Elementary French Immersion); 
• Students’ sense of belonging at school and whether they see themselves represented in materials 

No, the purpose of this data isn’t to evaluate individual experiences or situations. Board staff are unable to access individual student responses. We also won’t be reviewing data from the school level. All reports will include data aggregated for the entire school board together to support system-level planning and change.

Any student and family may choose not to participate, stop, or skip a question at any time. The survey for elementary students is completed by or with parents/guardians and so you can choose not to complete it. Parents/guardians of secondary school students under 18 can ask that their child be exempt from participating in the census.

There are two ways to request an exemption for your secondary school student:

1. Online: You may ask for an exemption electronically by completing this online form.
2. Contact your child’s secondary school: You may ask for an exemption by contacting your school administrator (by phone or by email).

Parents/guardians who would like their secondary school child to be exempted from participating in the census may request an exemption at any time before January 9. If a parent/guardian does not submit a request to opt out, all students are still free to choose not to participate in the student census.

Our schools will provide support to families that don’t have access to technology at home. Please contact your school principal to make arrangements.

Yes, reports that are prepared based on the census information will be available publicly and posted on our website.

Not all diversity is visible. We need to gather the data because it helps to make the invisible visible. We don’t want anyone in our community to face barriers.