Safe Schools – Practices

BG Families,

Like every year, all schools in Ontario are required to review and practice “Secure School Responses” that include Lockdown, Hold and Secure, Shelter in Place, and Bomb Threat.

These announced drills will occur on the following days:

Total Evacuation/Bomb Threat (Report or discover of an explosive device): Thursday, June 8

Shelter in Place (Potential environmental or weather-related hazard outside of the school): Monday, June 12

Lockdown (Potentially serious violent situation at the school that would endanger the lives of staff and students, usually initiated by police): Wednesday, June 14

Hold and Secure (Safety situation in the neighbourhood not related to the school): Monday, June 19

Staff will review procedures with students prior to the drills. We will announce each drill to students ahead of time and right before each drill, so they know it is a drill.  We appreciate the co-operation of our students and staff during the drills.  We practice these drills so that the school population knows what to do to stay safe in case of an emergency. We let families know that these are practices so that you are aware and can help reinforce the importance of practising so everyone knows what to do in the case of a real emergency.

In the event of a real lockdown, updated information will be posted as soon as it is reported on HWDSB board website.

It is also important that we all remain aware of secure schools terminology used in all of Ontario’s publicly funded schools.

You can learn more about HWDSB’s approach to secure schools at https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/secondary/supports/secure-schools/