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Schools
to Mclellan: Give us information we need to do our job
CANADIAN SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION
MEDIA RELEASE May 1, 2001
(OTTAWA) - School administrators, trustees and teachers today joined forces to demand that Justice Minister Anne McLellan amend Bill C-7, the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), to require information sharing with school boards. The Canadian Association of School Administrators (CASA), the Canadian School Boards Association (CSBA), and the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) announced today that they are stepping up their efforts to convince MPs and the Minister that school boards must receive information on young offenders in their schools. "School boards have an obligation to ensure the safety of students and staff. We also have an important role to play in crime prevention, and the rehabilitation of students in our care," said Marie Pierce, Executive Director of CSBA. "Without an amendment requiring information sharing, we simply can't do our job. Our surveys show that information sharing has been inconsistent - sporadic at best." "Teachers and boards handle confidential information on a daily basis," said Marilies Rettig, President of CTF. "There is no reason to deny us access to the information we need to work effectively with justice officials in helping young offenders while fulfilling our commitment to all students." "In order to maintain a safe school environment and be well positioned to meet the needs of the young persons themselves, we need all relevant information available," said Dan Wiseman, Coordinator of Student Services with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and a representative of CASA. "Without it we may very well be putting other students and staff at risk. An open and collegial relationship between all those who work for children's best interests is essential." CSBA has published guidelines to assist boards in handling information on young offenders. The guide covers everything from designating who will manage the information, and how to work with justice officials, right through to how and when to destroy records. CASA is the voice for senior education leaders to influence the direction of national issues that impact on education. CSBA is the national voice of over 400 school boards. CTF represents more than 240,000 teachers from across Canada. - 30 - For information:
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