At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Upper Canada School Board, Superintendent of Safe Schools Deanna Perry, Superintendent of Schools Ron Ferguson, and Principal of Safe Schools Don Lewis discussed how the school district is planning to maintain the necessary safe school climate in response to the legalization of non-medical cannabis on October 17. Given this, administration is taking a multi-stepped approach to prepare schools and communities for the coming change. The Board heard that while non-medical use of the drug will soon be legal for adults 19 and older, its use will still be prohibited within schools and on school grounds. The school board is providing extensive training for staff, and is co-sponsoring an information program for parents so to make our communities aware of how to manage the change in a safe and responsible way. The effort involves partnering with the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario and area health units to host information sessions, and training all principals and vice-principals about risks and harm reduction. The school board also hosted a full-day training session on October 3 for select staff, such as administrators, guidance counsellors, learning resource teachers and physical education staff. The UCDSB Police/School Board Protocol and relevant policies and procedures are also being reviewed and updated.
