School board prefers accuracy over speed with parent notifications

It's almost time for summer vacation, but many Sudbury educators are still focused on keeping students safe while they're in class.

Last week, Lockerby Composite School and Sudbury police dealt with a note found in the hallway.

• 'There will be a shooting at school tomorrow:' Sudbury police investigate Lockerby Composite threat
• Students need a 'sense of ownership' when it comes to school safety

Sudbury police say they're still investigating the origin of the note. Meanwhile, the school board is assessing how it dealt with the situation. 

Hard copy notification

The board says the note was found after students were dismissed, so they notified parents the next day by sending their kids home with a letter.

Other school boards in northern Ontario, like the Algoma District School Board, use electronic notifications when potentially serious situations develop at school. Staff there say they used the system when a school in Chapleau received a bomb threat last fall.

Rainbow District School Board Education Director Norm Blaseg says the board has used an electronic notification system in the past, but found it had too many challenges.

"It's important that when we give that information, we give it out one time because we want all parents to receive the same message," says Blaseg.

"When you use Twitter or Facebook, often it's very fragmented in the way you receive it. We decided prior to Lockerby that any communication going forward should be a hard copy and should be disseminated at the same time through the students bringing it home."

Great collaboration with police

Blaseg says the board is organizing a debrief with police and other community stakeholders to review how the threat was handled. He says he's optimistic about the collaboration between police and school employees.

"We had a great police presence there to reinforce calmness and to show we were on top of it," says Blaseg. 

"It was good to see the school board and the police working to resolve this and to bring a level of stability. Because at the end of the day, people want to be secure in their knowledge that things are okay."

Levels of security protocols

The school board complies with the province's three levels of security protocols.

• "Shelter in place" is used when there's an external threat to the school. This includes things like a natural disaster or chemical leaks.
• "Lockdown" is used when there's a major incident or threat of school violence within the school. This is the highest level of security.
• "Hold and Secure" is used when there's an external situation unrelated to the school, such as a bank robbery nearby. The school continues to function normally while doors are locked.

The Rainbow District School Board says they've added a fourth level called "internal hold and secure." This will be instated while there's a non-serious, but immediate situation within the school, such as a student being disruptive.

"In order to recognize and ensure the dignity of that student, we instate an internal hold and secure, which just means close your doors," says Blaseg.

"That way, we can deal with the situation accordingly."