OUR POLICIES

(Note: The Policies of the Kanehsatà:ke Education Centre will be made available through this page. More will be added at a later date.)

Information Management

The Kanehsatà:ke Education Centre adopts and affirms the guiding principles of Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession (OCAP)1 related to data in their possession.

The National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO, adapted definitions April 15, 2004) provided the following:

Ownership

The notion of ownership refers to the relationship of the First Nations community to its cultural
knowledge/data/information. The principle states that a community or group owns information collectively in the same way that an individual owns his or her personal information. It is distinct from stewardship or possession (see below).

Control

The aspirations and rights of First Nations to maintain and regain control of all aspects of their lives and institutions include research and information. The principle of “control” asserts that First Nations, their communities and representative bodies are within their rights in seeking to control research and information management processes which impact them. This includes all stages of research projects, and more broadly, research policy, resources, review processes, formulation of conceptual frameworks, data management, and so on.

Access

First Nations People[s] must have access to information and data about themselves and their communities, regardless of where these are currently held. The principle also refers to the right of First Nations communities and organizations to manage and make decisions regarding access to their collective information.

Possession

While “ownership” identifies the relationship between a people and their data in principle, the idea of ”possession” or “stewardship” is more literal. Although not a condition of ownership, possession (of data) is a mechanism by which ownership can be asserted or protected. When data owned by one party are in the possession of another, there is a risk of breach or misuse. This is particularly important when trust is lacking between the owner and possessor.

1. “Ownership, Control, Access and Possession (OCAP) or Self-Determination Applied to Research: A Critical Analysis of First Nations Research and Some Options for First Nations Communities, “Journal of Aboriginal Health, Volume 1, Issue 1. Ottawa: National Aboriginal Health Organization, January 2004. (Available for download from www.naho.ca).

Transportation Policy

Preamble

Access to an appropriate educational program of studies is a right; however, transportation to the school site is a privilege, with specific responsibilities and consequences.

Rationale

The Kanehsatà:ke Education Center is prepared to provide an equitable transportation service within the allocated funding budget to registered band members living within the community of Kanehsatà:ke

Policy

The Kanehsatà:ke Education Center is committed to transport students to and from its local schools. Transportation services for special needs students attending non-Kanehsatà:ke schools will be considered on an individual basis and on the availability of special education funding. The Standards of Conduct policy is applicable during the transporting of students.