INNISFAIL - Work is ongoing to keep students, teachers and staff at Chinook’s Edge School Division (CESD) schools and other facilities safe and sound, says superintendent Kurt Sacher.
During a board meeting last month, CESD health and safety coordinator Rod Maclean provided an annual verbal report to the board regarding the 11,000-student division’s safety program and the results of the annual internal audit.
Work completed this past school year included a hazard assessment review, support for employees with hazard assessments and review, work with communities that do not have routine fire inspections, work on a process for documenting injury investigations at the school level, and monitoring air quality baselines for schools.
Regarding the fire inspections, Sacher said, “We want to make sure that we have annual inspections in all of our communities. We work with our partners in the fire departments. They will come in and do fire inspections.
“We want to be consistent across the school division, so our safety coordinator will make sure that that’s happening.”
Regarding work on a process of documenting injury investigations, he said, “We are making sure that we have a report if there is ever an injury that occurs at the school level with staff or students. We want to make sure that we are always generating accurate data so if there are any trends or patterns where we have to address something, we are better able to do that.”
Asked if he is happy with the current process, Sacher said yes.
“We are always trying to improve process,” he said. “We reflect on it and see if there are strengthens or weaknesses. We have to make sure the process is followed.
“We are ensuring there is an appropriate level of first aid training in all our schools and facilities.”
Regarding air quality baselines for schools, he said, “We do regular testing of air quality. We are making sure our schools are meeting the provincial standards.”
Asked if those standards are being met in all CESD schools, he said yes.
Trustees heard that enhanced emergency response plans will be one of the division’s focuses in 2023-24.
“We want to elevate our attention to that area,” he said. “We are actually looking at some companies that might help us formally look at that process. We definitely looking at ways to take that to a higher level as a preventative move going forward.”
During the recent board meeting, the board received a quarterly report from the transportation department.
“Highlighted items in the region include completed spring bus evacuation drills and success of Chinook’s Edge drivers at regional and provincial bus road-eos,” he said.
“The division has been working to train bus drivers. The board heard that the shortage of examiners in Alberta is impacting the time it takes to get newly qualified drivers in place.”
The Innisfail-headquartered CESD includes K-12 schools across the region.
