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Comprehensive Action Plan To Address Safety In All Ontario Schools
TORONTO, Dec. 14 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government has appointed a special
Safe Schools Action Team to implement new measures to protect students,
Education Minister Gerard Kennedy and Community Safety and Correctional
Services Minister Monte Kwinter said today.
"Every student has the right to feel safe and be safe in school and on
school grounds," said Kennedy.
"We know that safe schools are a priority across the province. Our focus
is on creating a coordinated approach to implementing enhancements, addressing
the tougher issues and delivering the practical tools and funding schools need
to make them safer, better places to learn."
Liz Sandals, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Community Safety
and Correctional Services, will lead the provincial action team of safety
experts to address the physical and social safety of schools. The action team
will have full access to resources at both the Ministry of Education and the
Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. The action team will
both galvanize school boards, draw on best practices from across Ontario and
move forward with key components of an allocation of $9 million in 2004-05 for
the safe schools plan:
- Provincewide school safety audits - developed in partnership with
the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the audits will be
conducted at individual schools to provide the government with
accurate information and ensure schools check in on safety
conditions so they have a coherent picture of what actions or
policies may be required. Boards will also be able to use the safety
audit information for their school renewal efforts supported by the
government's $2 billion Good Places to Learn initiative.
- Access devices - funding that boards can apply for in January to
cover the cost of security access devices to protect students from
school intruders and prevent problems before they occur;
- Anti-bullying hotline - students will be able to report bullying and
get support; parents and educators will have easy access to
information and prevention strategies;
- Provincewide anti-bullying programs - successful anti-bullying
programs from across Ontario will be identified and put in place in
every school across the province.
The action team will also address recommendations from Justice
Sydney Robins' report on the prevention of sexual misconduct in Ontario
schools and conduct a complete review of the previous government's Safe
Schools Act. Reference groups of experts will be assembled from across the
province to provide insight into each of the above initiatives.
"This action team is made up of safe schools experts who are highly
respected across the province," said Sandals.
"Their expertise means we'll be able to quickly implement our safe
schools plan and effectively tap into best practices."
The prevention of bullying and aggressive behaviour in schools has become
a growing concern. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health,
one-quarter of students are being bullied at school and one-third of students
reported having bullied someone.
"Safer schools mean safer communities," said Kwinter.
"This action plan is an important part of the McGuinty government's
commitment to protecting students, creating safer communities and making
Ontario stronger."
Kennedy and Kwinter announced the government's school safety plan at
Senator O'Connor College Catholic Secondary School. The school participates in
the Empowered Student Partnership Program, which is the largest student-driven
crime prevention program in Canada. The program is run under the leadership of
the Toronto Police Service, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the
Toronto District School Board.
Disponible en français.
www.edu.gov.on.ca
www.resultsontario.gov.on.ca
Backgrounder
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MCGUINTY GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES PLAN TO KEEP STUDENTS SAFE
The McGuinty government is launching a comprehensive prevention-based
plan to deal with known safety issues in our schools. A special action team of
safety experts has been appointed to implement the plan.
SAFETY ACTION TEAM
Liz Sandals - Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Community Safety
and Correctional Services, will lead the team of safety and education experts.
Sandals was elected to the Ontario legislature in 2003. Prior to that, she was
elected to her local public school board. She served as vice-chair and chair
of the board and was president of the Ontario Public School Board Association
from 1998 to 2002. Sandals also represented Ontario on the board of directors
of the Canadian School Boards' Association.
Stu Auty - Former chair of the Ontario Safe School Task Force, has worked
in the education field as a teacher, counsellor and school administrator for
more than 30 years. He is the founding administrator of the Vanier School for
Young Offenders. Auty is also the founding President of the Canadian Safe
School Network and has recently served in an advisory capacity to the Toronto
Police Services, the Office for Victims of Crime, the Attorney General of
Ontario and the National Crime Prevention Centre.
Ray Hughes - National Education Coordinator, Centre For Prevention
Science with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. He is the past
Learning Coordinator for Violence Prevention with the Thames Valley District
School Board where he coordinated the implementation of violence prevention
programs for 190 schools and 80,000 students. Hughes conducts presentations on
violence prevention and safe school initiatives and has developed and
implemented school-based programs on a wide variety of related topics. He has
successfully implemented a proactive response to violence in schools called
the Interpersonal Development Program.
Dr. Debra Pepler - Professor of Psychology at York University, a
psychologist at the Hospital for Sick Children and holds a Senior Research
Fellowship from the Ontario Mental Health Foundation. She leads the Canadian
Initiative for the Prevention of Bullying, funded by the National Crime
Prevention Strategy. Dr. Pepler edited a recent book on international bullying
prevention programs and has consulted with the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development on school violence and bullying. She heads two
research networks and holds eight research grants related to understanding and
addressing children's aggressive behaviour problems.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO PROTECT STUDENTS
The Action Team will be supported by the resources of both the Ministry
of Education and the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services as
it implements the government's comprehensive safe schools plan.
SAFETY AUDIT - Audits will be performed by local Safety Audit Teams,
which will represent the school and the surrounding community - teachers,
students, parents, principals or vice-principals and community members
(including police officers). The audit will include:
- The physical environment, including lighting, locks and the safety
of entranceways
- The social climate, including policies on responding to crisis
situations and bullying.
The government has partnered with the Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health to create this robust safety audit that will help schools and
communities assess both the physical safety and the social climate of their
schools. The audits will encourage schools to check in on safety issues and
will provide a coherent picture of what further actions or policies may be
required to improve safety in our schools.
ACCESS DEVICES - The government will provide funding to cover the cost of
access devices, such as cameras, to protect students from school intruders.
Boards will be able to apply for funding in January. These devices allow staff
to monitor who is entering their schools and prevent problems before they
occur.
ANTI-BULLYING HOTLINE - The Action Team will drive the creation of a
provincewide anti-bullying hotline - a key component of the government's plan.
Students will be able to report bullying incidents and get support. Parents
and educators will have easy access to information and prevention strategies.
PROVINCEWIDE ANTI-BULLYING PROGRAMS - Schools across Ontario have
developed many successful programs to address bullying, led by students,
parents, schools and boards. The Action team will draw from these best
practices and ensure that every school has an effective anti-bullying program
in place.
The action team will also address recommendations from Justice Sydney
Robins' report on the prevention of sexual misconduct in Ontario schools and
conduct a complete review of the previous government's Safe Schools Act.
Reference groups of experts will be assembled from across the province to
provide insight into each of the above initiatives.
Disponible en français
www.edu.gov.on.ca
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For further information: Contacts: Amanda Alvaro, Minister's Office, (416) 325-2632, (416) 509-5696 (cell); Wilma Davis, Communications Branch, (416) 325-6730, Public Inquiries: (416) 325-2929, or 1-800-387-5514, TTY: 1-800-263-2892
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