PRINCE ALBERT — In January, the Government of Saskatchewan announced that all school divisions will be required to develop, implement and make publicly available a policy on changeroom usage that upholds the privacy, dignity and comfort of all students.
According to the province, the Ministry of Education has been working with school divisions to ensure the safety and privacy of all students remain a top priority in Saskatchewan.
During the Prince Albert Catholic School Division Board of Education’s regular meeting Feb. 10, the division took another step. The board passed a motion to approve the intent to create a policy as per the Government of Saskatchewan requirement.
"Last night (Monday) was our first board meeting since that announcement, and we do have a board policy that before we begin (there) is the process where we meet with the board to discuss our intent to create policy around this matter,” director of education Lorel Trumier explained.
"So we're starting the process to develop and eventually implement the change room policy as required by the Ministry of Education.”
In a press release at the time, the provincial government said school divisions have a critical role in the development and implementation of administrative procedures. These administrative procedures are formal policy documents used by school staff when dealing with situations such as student safety and privacy.
The province said they expect school divisions will develop and implement these administrative procedures in consultation with parents/guardians and students. All divisions must ensure that by June 30 or the end of the current school year, their policy is publicly available on their website and communicated to staff, parents, students and members of the public to maintain a sufficient level of transparency across the province.
According to the release, the government will continue to monitor this situation to ensure that local input is being respected and heard.
The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division said at the time of the announcement that they will need time to review the details of their own administrative procedures to ensure they align with the province's mandate.
In a press availability in January, Minister of Education Everett Hindley said that many divisions already have policies in place.
“We also heard that the locally elected school boards did appreciate, the opportunity to be able to have these issues (addressed) locally to make decisions and consult with parents and with citizens within their school division to try and develop a policy that's at the best reflection and provides what needs to be provided for students in their schools,” Hindley said.
