Safe School Communities Initiatives Fact Sheet

Winnipeg School Division (WSD) believes every child and adult has the right to feel safe in our schools, every day. WSD has a number of programs in place to ensure safety.

Safe school plans and programs

• Each WSD school has a safe school plan which includes a school code of conduct, strategies to create and maintain a positive school and classroom culture, specific behaviour management strategies and consequences for inappropriate behaviour.
• WSD supports the Positive Behaviour Intervention and Support (PBIS) three-tiered model of prevention/intervention.
  • Seven support personnel are trained as coaches in PBIS to assist schools in implementing school- based strategies.
  • Each year four schools are supported with training and release time to implement PBIS in their buildings.
• Schools develop effective threat assessment and crisis response plans in accordance with procedures outlined in the division's Guidelines for the Development of a School Crisis Response Plan.
• WSD's Safe Schools Handbook: Staff Guidelines is updated as required, including revisions to Lockdown/Hold and Secure protocols.
• Successful programming reaches beyond the boundaries of the school to integrate community resources, with a strong emphasis on parental involvement. Workshops for parents are provided on a variety of topics.
• WSD collaborates with community agencies including the Department of Education and the Winnipeg Police Service. Community agencies help to provide unique programming for students and to allow the Safety Patrol Program to function effectively in our schools.
• Digital floor plans of all divisional buildings are shared with the Winnipeg Police Service Tactical Unit. All police cruiser cars now have access to the electronic floor plans for all WSD.

For more information about programming within WSD, please see Winnipeg School Division's Bullying Prevention fact sheet.