The Mountain View County (MVC) policies and priorities committee is recommending council approve membership in the new Central Alberta community violent threat risk assessment protocol (VTRA).
The move came by way of motion at the committee's recent regularly scheduled meeting.
"I think it's an excellent protocol and program," said Coun. Greg Harris, a former police officer.
"It is well balanced between the need to do something and treating the situation with the proper amount of reserve and fact-based decision making.
"This one is well thought out. It's done with a good deal of balance, and information sharing is critical with these kinds of incidents."
"The protocol supports collaborative planning among community partners to reduce violence and reflects safe, caring and restorative approaches," administration said in a briefing note to the committee.
"It fosters timely sharing of information about students who pose a risk of violence towards themselves or others. This protocol promotes the development of supportive and preventive plans."
Rationale for the new VTRA protocol will include the following (quoted from note):
• Chinook's Edge School Division, Red Deer Public Schools, Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools and their community partners are committed to making our schools and communities safe.
• School authorities will respond to student behaviors that may pose a potential risk for violence to students, staff and members of the community. The goal in supporting intervention measures by each school board and community partners is to strive to prevent and reduce school violence and to promote the safety of all members of our community.
• This protocol supports collaborative planning among community partners to reduce violence and reflects safe, caring and restorative approaches. It fosters timely sharing of information about students who pose a risk for violence towards themselves or others. This protocol promotes the development of supportive and preventive plans.
Lead community partners in the protocol are Chinook's Edge, Red Deer Public and Red Deer Catholic school divisions.
Other community partners include Alberta Children's Services, area RCMP detachments, Olds College, Alberta Health Services and various municipalities in the region, including Mountain View County (if approved by council).
Phase 1 of the process would be to build a protocol that would benefit Central Alberta, which includes the Mountain View County area, members heard.
Phase 2 of the project was to refine and complete the protocol and schedule a dignitary signing in the spring of 2018.
Coun. Harris put forward a motion recommending that council consider the recommendation to join the protocol.
"I would be very supportive of us signing onto something like this," said Harris.
The motion passed unanimously.
Reeve Bruce Beattie and Coun. Al Kemmere did not attend the recent policies and priorities committee meeting.
The policies and priorities committee is made up of all county councillors.
"It is well balanced between the need to do something and treating the situation with the proper amount of reserve and fact-based decision making."
