Archived News Releases

September 29, 2004

Education, Citizenship and Youth Minister Peter Bjornson and Manitoba Association of School Trustees president Garry Draper today officially released a resource document for student supervision and safety on school field trips.

"Field trips provide significant learning opportunities for Manitoba students by putting classroom lessons into action, but the safety of students is everyone's number one consideration," Bjornson said. "YouthSafe Manitoba will be a vital resource to school boards in developing policies on out-of-classroom activities. It will also help schools by enhancing their continuing commitment to student safety when planning and supervising these activities."

Titled YouthSafe Manitoba – School Field Trip Resource, the publication is a companion to existing safety guidelines for physical education in schools and will support school boards in their efforts to enhance and maintain effective policies in this area. This document was prepared in response to one of the recommendations in the Joshua Harder Inquest report released in July 2003.

"School trustees recognize that out-of-school learning experiences can greatly enhance students' education, but we also recognize that once those students move beyond their classrooms and schools, they will encounter new and different risks," Draper said. "As guardians of the public trust, we have a responsibility to keep our students as safe as possible. This manual will help us meet that responsibility by enabling school boards and supervisors to identify the risks associated with particular activities so appropriate safeguards can be put in place."

This initiative has been jointly funded by Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth and the Manitoba Association of School Trustees (MAST), with contributions from the Manitoba Physical Education Teachers' Association, Manitoba Physical Education Supervisors' Association, Manitoba Federation of Independent Schools and the Coalition for Safer Waters.

Other educational, recreational and safety organizations supported the development of the document through committees, working groups and consultations including Manitoba Conservation, the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents, the Council of School Leaders, the Manitoba Association of Parent Councils, the Injury Prevention Centre of the Children's Hospital, Hayhurst Elias Dudek Insurance Group, Sport Manitoba and the Manitoba Camping Association.

"The feedback we received from stakeholders was invaluable and we want to thank everyone who contributed to the process," Bjornson said. "The final version of the YouthSafe Manitoba document will be provided to school divisions and other stakeholder groups across the province this fall."

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