b'44 2019-2020 | ANNUAL REPORT 2019-2020 | ANNUAL REPORT 45INDEPENDENCE HELPING STAFF STAY SAFEFree will is cultivated by responsibility so that the child can say, Safe Work Procedures (SWP) help staff members understand the potential I have the power to make decisions. * hazards in a work environment and reduce the risk of illness and injuries by setting out specific guidelines and expectations.The safety of students, staff and the community is a topfollow the guidelines that keep us safe and healthy priority in the Louis Riel School Division (LRSD), and in abecause each of us recognizes its the right thing to do, normal year, Tara Baschuk, LRSD Workplace Health andsaid Christian Michalik, LRSD Superintendent and CEO.Safety Officer, is busy developing new SWP and revising old ones. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and theAll SWP were posted to LRSDs online staff portal and suspension of in-class learning added an extra layer ofupdated as often as needed. Leadership in schools and complexity to her work and the need to define a newat a divisional level were notified by email any time a normal within workplaces. new procedure was made available and asked to share it with all applicable staff. The LRSD community was also The first step to developing these procedures is assessingencouraged to share any health and safety concerns they the risk in divisional workplaces. Knowing that COVID-19had through surveys and discussion with staff.spreads in several ways, including through droplets when a person coughs or sneezes or from touching acontaminated surface before touching the face, the team quickly got to work determining how to keep staff safe in the adjusted working conditions.AS WE CONTINUE TO NAVIGATEWith guidance from public health officials, Baschuk and Lisa Aitken, Assistant Superintendent, and severalTHIS PANDEMIC, WE REMAIN members of the Senior Leadership Team, worked collaboratively to develop more than a dozen COVID-19HOPEFUL THAT ALL STAFF AND related SWP.Each procedure took into consideration the importantSTUDENTS WILL CONTINUE TO prevention methods to minimize the risk of transmission such as proper disinfection and sanitation, physicalSUPPORT AND FOLLOW THE distancing, hand hygiene, self-screening and more.As more information about the virus became availableGUIDELINES THAT KEEP US and additional guidelines from public health officials were released, new procedures were necessary forSAFE AND HEALTHY BECAUSE situations that LRSD had not dealt with in the past, such as collecting, handling and delivering students belongingsEACH OF US RECOGNIZES ITS during a pandemic. Staying safe requires alignment and autonomy. As weTHE RIGHT THING TO DO.continue to navigate this pandemic, we remain hopeful that all staff and students will continue to support and- CHRISTIAN MICHALIK* Principles of the Circle of Courage: From Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Our Hope for the Future by Larry Brendtro, Martin Brokenleg, and Steve Van Bockern'