Churchill Community High School. File photo.
The director of education for the Northern Lights School Division says an updated emergency protocol was a factor in a successful response to a threat toward a La Ronge school.
Churchill Community High School was evacuated last Wednesday after what was described as a “safety incident.” Staff coordinated the evacuation of all students without any incidents or injuries being reported.
A new safety protocol handbook was introduced in the school division last year following the La Loche shooting.
While this isn’t the first time the handbook has been put to the test, Northern Lights Director Jason Young, says the updated handbook was beneficial in last week’s response. He says the new handbook was a necessary upgrade from what he called the “significantly dated” handbook of the past.
“All of our administrators and schools are using this book,” said Young. “Right now, I feel there is an overreaction by society to address critical incidents, which isn’t a bad thing. It allows us to be proactive, and think through these things and make appropriate decisions with thought out plans.”
The school division’s, Emergency Measures Response: Procedural Guidelines, was first introduced in October 2016, nine months following the tragedy in La Loche.
The handbook features guidelines on incidents, all the way from allergic reactions to power failures and wild animals.
There has been no official word yet on the exact nature of last week’s incident in La Ronge, but some sources told MBC it was a bomb threat.