Student Trustee Elections

Complete the application form by December 18, 2023 11:59 p.m. Please ensure your school principal knows that you are applying. All candidates will be contacted via email to their gapps account. The information you share in this application form will be posted to a Google site that students in Grades 5-12 in your area can access.

Applications must include:

• A completed application form (fillable PDF).

• A poster promoting your candidacy created in Google docs or Google slides. The poster should include only student name; Image of student or image representing student; and top three reasons for seeking the role of student trustee

• A completed Google form. You will upload your completed application form and poster in the Google form. 

In this first round of voting, all students in Grades 5-12 will have an opportunity to vote for a student trustee candidate to represent their area of the Board. There are four areas. 

Voting will take place between January 15-19, 2024. Voting closes January 19, 2024 at 11:59 p.m.

All students in Grades 5-12 will receive a message in their GAPPS accounts. The email will include a link to a site where you can learn about the candidates in your area and vote. This is your opportunity to have your say in who will represent your voice in the next school year. We encourage you to take the time to vote.

To ensure a fair and equitable election process for all, we ask that student trustee candidates adhere to the following guidelines:

• We encourage you to direct students in Grades 5-12 to participate in voting by checking their GAPPs email in early January and visiting the election site for their area. On the site, they will find information about candidates and a link to the voting form. 

• We encourage you to limit the use of personal social media to encourage student participation in the election process. As noted above, you can direct students to their GAPPS email in January to learn more about how to vote.

• Visiting or making presentations to students in neighbouring schools is not permitted.

Thank you for adhering to our procedures to ensure a fair and equitable election process for all, and for your interest in the position.

The four final candidates (one from each area of the board) will be notified and will have an opportunity to campaign. 

Important: No applicant or candidate may campaign prior to the campaign period beginning February 12, 2024.

Once the four candidates have been notified, they will work with the current Student Trustees and staff to develop a short, two-minute video. The information on your application form and this video will be posted on the Student Trustee webpages to support student electors in making an educated decision on Election Day.

Criteria and information to be included in these resources will be provided to each of the four candidates.

Starting on February 12, 2024, the four candidates may begin campaigning. Information about each candidate will be posted on this page, communicated to student electors and shared via social media.

• During this period, candidates will participate in several events to elevate student voice. This may include a live-streamed All-Candidates Debate and a short presentation to the Board of Trustees.

• All eligible student electors will be provided with information about the candidates and how they can vote.

• The campaign period ends at 11:59 p.m. on February 16, 2024.

Campaign Guidelines

Campaigning by social media is not required or encouraged by York Region District School Board. If, as a student trustee candidate, you do choose to use your personal social media account for campaigning purposes, please review the following guidelines and considerations:

• You are still expected to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct, Acceptable Use of Technology Agreement, Caring and Safe Schools Policy, and all other Board policies and procedures.
• To create a personal account, no permission needs to be obtained, but be aware that by creating an account you will become searchable and scrutinizable by the public. You may want to consider creating a separate account for the campaign, to keep it separate from a personal account. 
• Review all setting options including privacy and notifications.  Review for examples (e.g. turn off location settings, allow people to tag you in photos, check time zone default, decide which notifications you want to receive)
• It is suggested to turn off comments on your posts and encourage users who would like to contact you to do so via direct message.
• Students are encouraged to limit the use of their accounts to encourage students to learn more about the candidates and vote and to direct students to the website www.yrdsb.ca/studenttrustees and their GAPPS accounts for more information. 
• YRDSB social media accounts will not retweet/repost/endorse student trustee candidate accounts. YRDSB will be sharing information about the student trustee election process. Students are welcome to retweet/repost. 
• Please note that the only board-approved social media platforms are Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). All other platforms cannot be accessed on our network.

Need to report abusive behaviour? You can find information about how to report on all social media platforms. If you are unsure of which type of report to file, would like to discuss how best to deal with a particular concern, or have any other questions about the campaign guidelines, contact StudentTrustee.Elections@yrdsb.ca. 

Voting for the two student trustees who will represent students in the 2024-2025 school year will take place February 20-22, 2024. All students in Grades 5-12 can vote for student trustee. 

Voting​ begins on February 20, 2024 and closes February 22, 2024.​ at 8:00 p.m. 

Students will receive information in their GAPPS email about how to vote. 

The results of the election will be shared with the four candidates at a predetermined time on February 26-27, 2024.

A formal communication will be sent from the Student Trustees via social media on Monday,, February 26-27, 2024.

The results will be posted on this page.

At the Board level, Trustee Services supports the work of the student trustees. Four administrator advisors support the work of the YRPC.

The individuals elected to the role of Student Trustee for the year 2024-2025 will be provided with key dates and additional information to support their transition into this important role.