By Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Initiative
The head of the Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) education services advisory committee is raising concerns about the capacity of the new regional student ombudswoman’s office to serve the English-speaking community after ombudswoman Caroline Audette responded to English-language questions in French during a presentation to the committee.
“On Feb. 6, the regional ombudswoman came and spoke to us and gave a Powerpoint presentation. She was very professional and very polite, but what concerns me is that while we are an English board and we conduct our meetings in English, her presentation was in French and questions were answered in French,” commissioner Mary-Ellen Kirby told The Record. “That raised red flags for us.”
Student ombudspeople handle complaints from parents and students concerned that a school, school board or school service centre is not meeting its obligations in terms of service provision or protecting student safety. At the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, national student ombudsman Jean-François Bernier, Audette and 16 other regional student ombudsmen took office after a reform of the ombuds system by the Legault government. Ombudsmen were previously appointed by school boards or regional groups of school boards, Kirby explained, but Bernier, Audette and their counterparts across the province were appointed by Education Minister Bernard Drainville.
