(For a summary of current COVID recommendations, click here.)
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection (Covenant), which describes itself as the only national and national cross-agency child protection advisor and monitoring body mandated under the Canada’s Child and Family Safety Act, has a few suggestions to help parents and educators get more information about incidents of school violence.
With Community Safety 101 in print, DVD and digital form, the guide starts with the following list of points:
schools are important places to raise children in an environment conducive to learning.
schools play a unique role as a teaching institution.
schools provide important safety oversight.
schools can be a supportive community for children.
schools can develop values with children.
schools can teach respect for everyone and other differences.
schools can foster inclusion and social intelligence.
children need to know what to do in school safety emergencies.
schools can address bullying and violence.
schools can help children to learn healthy social skills.
schools can cultivate a healthy culture of respect.
schools can become community spaces where children can learn, work and play.
Schools can ensure children are safe.
COVID wants to make sure that schools and parents are aware of what happened at schools in their community. COVID supports public safety protocols, education, prevention and surveillance programs for school systems.
COVID gives some examples of specific efforts and what steps should be taken to ensure school safety:
means of communication about any incidents involving school violence/addiction
change of security protocols at school
instructional activities aimed at building skills for school safety and vulnerability awareness
inactive watchlists and crime maps for schools
budget for counselling on issue
safeguarding policies
How to Search by Name and Track Cases in Ontario
Search by name – COVID has searchable resources on Ontario schools to find out what cases have happened there. There are also lists of schools with COVID recommendations (find those here).
Track cases – COVID provides guidelines to track school safety cases in Ontario.
One of the three COVID process models are the Placement Reviewation Process, that supports child and youth’s return to school. There is a handbook to help the parent read each case individually. There are tools to help teachers and social workers along the way.
Online Tool to Search School Cases
You can search every school case across Ontario here. This tool comes from COVID and will keep the data live through the end of October 2019.