Lockdown Procedures
LOCK DOWN PROCEDURES
In 2011, the Ministry of Education introduced the Provincial Policy for Developing and Maintaining Lockdown Procedures for Elementary and Secondary Schools in Ontario. The Ministry’s lockdown policy begins on page 28 of the Provincial Model for a Local Police/School Board Protocol (2011). This document is attached as Appendix A or can be accessed at http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/brochure/protocol/locprote.pdf
Strategies for Dealing with Lockdown Concerns:
The Ministry of Education will be asking every school board to review their safety and emergency procedures, including lockdown drills.
The Ministry’s lockdown policy requires that school boards ensure the development and implementation of individual school lockdown plans. These lockdown plans have to be consistent with the provincial requirements. At individual schools, at least two lockdown drills must occur each school year.
Here are three strategies for dealing with any shortfalls in lockdown procedures:
- Report lockdown concerns to the Principal
Encourage members to report lockdown concerns to their principal, describing these concerns as health and safety hazards. If the principal fails to deal with a reported concern, remind members to get support from their local office.
- Reporting a concern if you happen to be present during a monthly inspection
Concerns about lockdown safety can be included in the monthly health and safety inspection report. The principal must read the inspection report and record actions taken to deal with identified hazards. Copies of the completed report are posted on the health and safety bulletin board and can be distributed to the Joint Health and Safety Committee.
- Report the concern to me, your HS rep
I can bring any concerns to our Joint Health and Safety Committee. My email is healthandsafety@sceot.org