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Simcoe County District School Board sanctions Trustee for breach of code of conduct

November 8, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) held a special board meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 23, to determine what actions will be taken against a trustee who contravened the School Board Trustee Code of Conduct during an appearance before New Tecumseth Council on Sept. 11, 2023.

New Tecumseth Trustee Sarah Beitz said during her deputation at the September council meeting that the Simcoe County District School Board would not rebuild Banting Memorial High School on its current site. She then proposed building the new school on the Banting Homestead location.

The deputation threw New Tecumseth Council for a loop, as the information was not in line with previous information given to them and provided by the school board.

“We should have heard this from the school board sooner, instead of coming here to our council meeting – we ratify something tonight, and it gets dropped like this – if you don’t decide tonight this isn’t going to happen? That’s not the relationship I want to build.” New Tecumseth Mayor Richard Norcross said after the deputation was made on Sept. 11. 

However, it was revealed later that Beitz was never authorized by the school board to speak on its behalf at a council meeting.

A special SCDSB meeting was held on Aug. 28, and it was announced that a formal complaint regarding the conduct of Trustee Beitz was brought forward.

The SCDSB then censured Trustee Beitz for breaching its code of conduct.

A report from Integrity Commissioner Michael Maynard was presented at the Aug. 28, meeting. The report concluded that Beitz violated the code of conduct five times.

The SCDSB held a special meeting following the regular board meeting on Oct. 23 to discuss the matter.

As a result of that meeting, the Board determined that Trustee Beitz contravened sections 3.3 and 8.4 of the SCDSB’s Trustee Code of Conduct.

The Board approved a motion to impose sanctions on Beitz.

Beitz will not attend SCDSB Board and committee meetings for one month, starting Nov. 1, 2024, but will be permitted to attend the Organizational meeting scheduled for Nov. 18, 2024.

The board ordered that confidential documents referred to in the report of the investigator be returned to the board director’s office, with hand-written notes written on the documents by Beitz redacted.

The Board of Trustees accepted the recommendation of the Code of Conduct Committee not to pursue a formal inquiry into the complaint and to stay any further proceedings with respect to the matter on the basis that the complaint was out of time and did not provide sufficient grounds for a complaint under the Code of Conduct.

The New Tecumseth Times reached out to Beitz for comment but didn’t receive a response before press time.

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