The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board is facing legal heat after a principal at Ancaster High barred parents from recording a recent school council meeting, prompting a formal warning from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms.The Justice Centre said it sent a legal warning letter to both the board and the school after the principal announced that recording the September 16 meeting was not allowed in order to “protect the privacy and integrity” of participants.Lawyers with the Justice Centre argue that the move violates Charter-protected rights and undermines transparency in school governance. Constitutional lawyer Hatim Kheir said that photography, audio, and video recording are all forms of expression protected under 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,” he said.Kheir added that prohibiting recording “hurts the ability of the wider community to learn about what happens at council meetings and weakens public engagement.”.School councilmember and parent Catherine Kronas said parents deserve openness in how their schools operate. “Transparency is the foundation of accountability,” she said. “When councils censor minutes or ban recordings, they undermine that accountability and erode public trust.”This is not the first time the Hamilton-Wentworth board has been accused of censorship. In April, Kronas was suspended from the same council after objecting to land acknowledgements being included in meeting minutes. The suspension was overturned in July after legal intervention, with the board admitting she had not breached any code of conduct.“Recordings let a greater part of the school community get engaged in their children’s education,” Kheir said. “Secrecy is antithetical to the local democracy that school councils are meant to foster.”He urged the board to rescind the ban and ensure school council meetings remain open, accessible, and accountable to parents and the community.
