The provincial government announced Thursday that all school divisions must develop change-room policies with local input. These policies must be implemented and made publicly available to uphold the privacy, dignity and comfort of all students.
In a release, the Ministry of Education said it has been working with school divisions to ensure student safety and privacy remain priorities in the province. School divisions play a key role in the development and implementation of administrative procedures, which are formal policy documents used by school staff in situations involving student safety and privacy.
“We want to ensure the privacy, dignity and comfort of all students,” Education Minister Everett Hindley said in the release. “It is also important for parents and guardians to be aware of the steps being taken to ensure the comfort and safety of all students. Through our consultations, many school divisions informed us that they are in the best position to make these decisions at a local level.”
The government expects school divisions to create and implement these procedures in consultation with parents, guardians and students. Divisions are responsible for ensuring the policies are available on their websites and clearly communicated to staff, parents, students and the public to maintain transparency.
Boards of education are entrusted with these responsibilities as elected representatives. They are expected to be responsive to and understanding of the constituents who elected them.