Parents in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon now have a new way to get their concerns heard at the school board level, and the change is particularly significant in Peel, where both major school boards are currently under provincial supervision.

Student and Family Support Offices officially launched across Ontario’s 72 publicly funded school boards on Sept. 1, giving parents and guardians a formal avenue to escalate concerns that have not been resolved at the school level.

For families in Peel, however, the new system comes at a time when the traditional role of elected school trustees has been significantly altered.

Both the Peel District School Board (PDSB) and Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) are under provincial supervision.

At the PDSB, the province placed the board under supervision in January after concerns about its finances and governance. Heather Watt was subsequently appointed as supervisor.

The DPCDSB has been under supervision since June 2025 following concerns about its deteriorating financial position. Rick Byers was appointed supervisor, and the board says decisions that would normally be made by trustees are being made by the supervisor, with the exception of denominational matters.

That makes the new support offices particularly notable for Peel families.

Traditionally, a parent with a problem at school would start with the teacher, then the principal and, if necessary, a superintendent. An elected trustee could also become a point of contact for families with unresolved concerns.

The new offices provide another formal route into the board.

Ontario says parents should continue to raise concerns with their child’s teacher and principal first. The Student and Family Support Office is intended for broader community concerns, complex issues or matters that need to be escalated after those initial steps.

There are also service standards. Boards are expected to acknowledge inquiries within two business days and aim to provide an answer within five business days, or give an estimated timeline when an issue is more complicated.

The DPCDSB was actually one of five Ontario boards where the office opened early, in January, because those boards were already under provincial supervision. The province says the experience at those boards helped shape the provincewide rollout. During that period, 95 per cent of family inquiries were acknowledged within two business days and nearly 90 per cent received a response within five business days or an estimated response date.

For Dufferin-Peel parents, the office can be reached at [email protected] or 905-890-0708, ext. 24125.

The PDSB’s office can be reached through its Student and Family Support Office webpage, with the board listing [email protected] and 905-890-1010, ext. 3000 as contact information.

The province says the offices are not intended to replace existing school-level communication, but to provide families with a clearer way to navigate the system when concerns remain unresolved.

The change also comes as Ontario continues to reconsider the role of elected school trustees.

The province has moved to reduce and standardize trustee responsibilities and compensation, while trustees in Peel continue to exist even though the boards are under provincial supervision. Recent reporting found the number of candidates seeking trustee positions in both Peel boards has dropped substantially compared with the 2022 municipal election.

For Peel parents, the result is a school system with a new point of contact, one that connects families directly with board administration at a time when the traditional governance structure is undergoing major change.

And unlike contacting a teacher, principal or superintendent about an individual school issue, the new office is specifically designed to provide a formal escalation route when those usual channels haven’t produced an answer.


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