Inquest Recommends School Trip Precautions
In his report, the Manitoba judge who examined the death of a five-year-old kindergarten student on a school swimming trip made 47 recommendations, including the following which address contingency planning.
12. That detailed pre-event planning and contingency planning be required in writing by the school division for all school outings and presented to the assistant superintendent or the principal for approval.
13. That such plans include but not be limited to:
a) the designation of an in-charge teacher;
b) a requirement for a planning visit to the venue and a discussion with appropriate venue personnel;
c) a requirement for a written agreement with the venue as to mutual expectations and commitments regarding inter alia, supervision;
d) a requirement that immediately prior to departure a list of those students actually attending the outing be prepared by the teacher of each class and left at the school, with another copy provided to the in-charge teacher for the outing;
e) particularly for outings involving students in Grades K to 6, that consideration be given to utilization of a "buddy system" where each child is assigned a buddy and on a specified signal is to find their buddy and stay with them until a head count is done. Through such a system checks can readily be done on entering and leaving a facility for example and at other appropriate points;
f) a particular vehicle be identified to all adults in attendance as being available for use in case of a medical emergency;
g) a plan for parent notification in the event of an emergency be in place (e.g. the school secretary to do notifications based on the pre-departure attendance lists);
h) a follow-up person being designated and prepared for any serious incident that might occur–for such tasks as dealing with investigators, identifying witnesses, preserving the scene of any accident until investigators arrive, etc.;
i) if a serious incident does occur, a requirement for written reports to be prepared by all teachers in attendance at the outing and given to designated school and school board personnel;
j) other potential provisions such as procedures for dealing with injuries as outlined in the "Safety Guidelines for Physical Activities in Manitoba Schools."
July 2003
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