HAMILTON, ON: The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms announces that a legal warning letter has been sent to the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (Board) and Ancaster High Secondary School after the school’s principal barred attendees from recording school council meetings.
Catherine Kronas, an elected school council member and parent of a student enrolled at Ancaster High School, took part in the council’s first meeting of the school year on September 17, 2025, where the principal announced that recording was not allowed to “protect the privacy and integrity” of participants.
Lawyers funded by the Justice Centre have cautioned that banning recordings of public meetings violates the Charter-protected right to freedom of expression and undermines transparency in school governance.
Constitutional lawyer Hatim Kheir said, “Photography, as well as audio and video recording, are forms of expressive activity protected by section 2(b) of the Charter. The ability to record increases the community’s understanding of Council deliberations beyond the small number of parents who can attend in person.”
“Prohibiting recording hurts the ability of the wider community to learn about what happens at council meetings and weakens public engagement,” he added.
Ms. Kronas said parents deserve openness in how their schools operate. “Transparency is the foundation of accountability. The Education Act and its regulations require school councils to operate openly so parents can see how decisions are made. When councils censor minutes or ban recordings, they undermine that accountability and erode public trust,” she said.
This is not the first time the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board has attempted to censor its public meetings. In April 2025, Ms. Kronas was suspended from the same school council after asking that her respectful objection to land acknowledgements be noted in the meeting minutes. Following legal intervention, the Board reversed that suspension in July 2025, acknowledging that she had not breached any code of conduct.
“Recordings let a greater part of the school community get engaged in their children’s education,” Mr. Kheir emphasized. “Secrecy is antithetical to the local democracy that school councils are meant to foster.”
Mr. Kheir is calling on the Board to rescind the recording ban and to ensure that school council meetings remain open, accessible, and accountable to parents and the broader community.
