Winnipeg students, staff taking precautions in wake of Uvalde shooting
While Tuesday’s elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas has many on this side of the border on edge, a local educator wants parents and families to know Winnipeg schools are safe places.
Pembina Trail School Division Superintendent Ted Fransen told CTV Morning Live Winnipeg while students and staff are trained for the unlikely event of an intruder, it is done strategically and mindfully.
“It is our responsibility as teachers to minimize the kind of stress and anxiety that students have, and so we do this carefully,” he said.
According to Fransen, schools across the province are required to do intruder training twice a year. Fransen noted his division uses the ALICE training model – which stands for alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate.
Winnipeg Police Service gives training to educational staff, and then students are trained by teachers in an age-appropriate manner.
“Students who are in Kindergarten and Grade 1 are going to learn the ropes, if you will, differently than a student in Grade 10 or 11,” he said.
Fransen noted because active intruder situations are so rare in Canadian schools, the more significant concern is managing kids’ fears and anxiety. Guidance counsellors, psychologists or social workers are on hand to help with training.
While the rash of shootings in the United States remains troubling, Fransen wants parents and caregivers to send their kids to school with peace of mind.
“The message I want you to take away and your viewers to take away from this morning is that when you send your kids to school, you're sending them to a safe and caring school,” he said.
- With files from CTV’s Nicole Dubé
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
BREAKING Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canadian Blood Services issued an apology on Friday to the LGBTQ2S+ community for what it now admits was a harmful and discriminatory blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma.
BREAKING 'Just wait': Toronto mayor hints that WNBA team is coming to the city amid multiple reports
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says that she is hopeful an announcement could be made soon amid multiple reports that a WNBA team is coming to Toronto in 2026.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.