in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 10 ,2 02 2 | 20 RediscoverOntario this summer. There's somuch to do and see here. Fromwine tasting to scenic trails, nights at a family resort and everything in between. Get up to 20%back on yourOntario staycation. Find outmore andplan your next overnight getaway atDestinationOntario.com Halton District School Board trustees were given a sample of preliminary results from a student and staff census conducted last year, with topics covering religion to sexual orienta- tion. Plans are for a "phased approach for release," ac- cording to HDSB research specialist Rossana Bisce- glia in her presentation to the board March 2. The voluntary census gathered data about stu- dent and staff identities, such as first language, eth- nic and racial background, religion, gender identity and (for older students/ staff) sexual orientation. Students were also invited to share their perceptions of school climate, sense of belonging and experiences with bullying. A total of 64,613 stu- dents were invited to com- plete the census. The high- est participation rate was among Grade 4 to 8 stu- dents at 93 per cent, fol- lowed by 84 per cent for Grade 9 to 12 and 59 per cent for kindergarten to Grade 3 students. Of 10,922 staff invited to participate, approximate- ly 8,176 completed the cen- sus. Here are some high- lights from the data re- leased publicly to date: • At the elementary lev- el, 56 per cent of students identified as being racial- ized, and at the secondary level, that number was 48 per cent. Among staff, 18 per cent identified as ra- cialized, "considerably lower" than the student population. • Forty-four per cent of students identified as white at the elementary level followed by South Asian (23 per cent), Middle Eastern (10 per cent) and East Asian (nine per cent). At the secondary level, white and South Asian were the most predomi- nant groupings followed by East Asian and Middle Eastern. At 82 per cent, the vast majority of staff iden- tified as white, followed by South Asian, in keeping with the student popula- tion results. • Under the category of staff tenure and race, for staff who have been em- ployed with the board for less than six years, there is a higher percentage of di- versity across the racial categories. As the tenure increases, the diversity de- creases. • In the category of sex- ual orientation, 85 per cent of elementary students identified as heterosexual and 15 per cent as sexually diverse. Secondary num- bers were similar. The pre- dominant sexual orienta- tion for staff is heterosexu- al with seven per cent iden- tifying as sexually diverse. • Under gender identity, the majority of both ele- mentary and secondary students identify as male or female, with five per cent identifying as gender diverse. Among staff, the majority of respondents identified as male or fe- male with one per cent gender diverse. • Under religion/spiri- tual affiliation, the major- ity of elementary students identified as Muslim fol- lowed by Christian and "no religious affiliation." Sec- ondary students identified as Christian followed by no religious affiliation, Muslim and atheists. For- ty-six per cent of staff iden- tified as Christian, and next was no religious affil- iation, or spiritual but not religious. • The majority of ele- mentary and secondary students did not identify as having a disability, while eight per cent were unsure or identified as having a disability. Among students who indicated they had a disability, the highest single disability groupings were learning disabilities, mental health and autism spectrum dis- order. "We will continue to an- alyze the data in order to examine and identify dis- parities and dispropor- tionalities, in opportuni- ties and outcomes, student experiences. And in terms of staff census, really dig- ging deeper into the re- presentation across union groups, leadership roles, as well as understanding disparities and staff expe- riences," said Bisceglia. MAJORITY OF STUDENTS IDENTIFY AS RACIALIZED: SURVEY KATHY YANCHUS kyanchus@metroland.com NEWS "We will continue to analyze the data in order to examine and identify disparities and disproportionalities, in opportunities and outcomes, student experiences." - Dr. Rossana Bisceglia