BOW VALLEY – Cannabis legalization is a mere two weeks away and, as municipal governments grapple with the change, local school boards are also considering changes to their procedures.
Canadian Rockies Public School (CRPS) board members briefly discussed administrative procedure changes at a meeting in September.
School board chair Carol Picard said because the issue was procedural and not related to policies, the board was not asked for approval of the procedures. However, she did indicate one of the substantive changes allows students who have a prescription for cannabis to use their medication at school, provided it is not being smoked or consumed using a vaporizer.
“The piece I was concerned about concerned if a child had a prescription for cannabis,” Picard said.
The new administrative procedure for students requiring medication sets out that cannabis, if prescribed by a physician for medicinal purposes, must be in edible form and should be administered by employees at the school who have received “explicit instructions from the attending physician and the parent of the child with the medical condition.”
The procedure also requires a school principal to obtain written approval from the superintendent for students being given physician-prescribed medication during the school day or at extra-curricular events.
Picard added CRPS procedures already established that students cannot attend classes if they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs and prohibits the smoking of tobacco on school property. With the changes, those procedures have included cannabis and the use of vaporizers as being prohibited on or near school property.
The use of vaporizers for tobacco has become popular among youth, and that activity is prohibited not only on school grounds, but also during school-related activities.
Deputy superintendent Lisa Blackstock provided an overview of the administrative changes for the board. New definitions to procedures include vaping as a means of consuming cannabis or tobacco.
“We do not allow vaping of any substance,” Blackstock told the board.
Blackstock said another change to the policy would allow staff to administer life saving medication, specifically an epipen in the event of a severe allergic reaction, to students.
She said procedures in the past prohibited staff from administering any medication at all, but it did not reflect the fact that in an emergency, an epipen could save a student’s life.
Further administrative procedures set out explicitly that bus drivers are also prohibited from being under the influence of cannabis and rules also apply to staff and visitors.
Interventions are set out in the policy to administration and staff as to what should occur if a student is experiencing a substance use issue and include: staff training and support; immediate intervention; monitoring ongoing behaviour indicators and more progressive interventions.
The policy sets out that the range of interventions, supports and consequences used by the district must be firm, fair, clear and include learning opportunities to reinforce positive behaviours and good choices.
“Forgiveness underpins the district approach to dealing with students who make mistakes,” stated the procedure. “Many mistakes are made by young people through lack of careful attention to others or to rules. Often there is no intention to harm, and when harm is intended, the young person involved may have little real understanding of the effects of their harmful
actions.”
Consequences become more severe in the procedures for those caught trafficking, with a five-day suspension, recommendation to the superintendent for expulsion and notification of RCMP.
