Ottawa’s largest school board moves toward inclusive commencement ceremonies [Video]

Ottawa’s largest school board wants to officially open its end-of-year ceremonies to more students.

Some schools under the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) have already made their graduation ceremonies more inclusive in recent years, according to Lyra Evans, the board’s trustee for Rideau-Vanier/Rideau-Rockcliffe.

But a vote by OCDSB trustees next month could make wider participation at the ceremonies a requirement across all the board’s schools.

“Graduation” and “commencement” have been used interchangeably in many places for some time, according to board chair Lynn Scott.

She points out that while most people may think of graduating as receiving a high school diploma, there are two other certificates students can receive: an Ontario Secondary School Certificate, which can be awarded to students who have met about half of the required 30 credits needed to receive their diploma; and a Certificate of Accomplishment, which may be awarded to those in special education programs that are more focused on developing …