Inspections of schools across the province are now complete, says Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Doug Currie.
School inspections were called for last November following the closure of Elm Street Elementary. Inspections were a proactive measure to identify locations of water infiltration in Island schools.
“The health and safety of students and staff across Prince Edward Island is a top priority,” said Minister Currie. “The school inspections project has allowed us to identify evidence of water intrusion in Island schools and we have begun to address those issues accordingly.”
The School Inspection Committee, composed of representatives from the Departments of Education and Early Childhood Development and Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, as well as all three school boards, is currently working to ensure these problems are addressed quickly and effectively. Reports have been received for 46 of the 62 schools and the remaining 16 reports are expected by the end of the month.
Reports indicate that most schools require minor repairs. This work, which is being carried out by custodial staff, began during March break. Of the schools requiring further investigation, there are 15 schools deemed as high priority. These repairs will be completed as quickly as possible.
Following any remedial action, follow-up assessments will take place to ensure the action taken has addressed the issue.
Joint Occupational Health and Safety committees at each school have or will soon receive a copy of their completed inspection report and all reports will be posted to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development website at www.gov.pe.ca/eecd/schoolinspections. All reports are expected to be available for online viewing within the next few weeks. In the future, there will be regular inspections of schools to ensure the safety of our educational facilities will be constantly monitored.
For further information about the completed school inspections, contact School Safety Consultant Joan Moore-Dennis at 620-3180 or via e-mail at jemoore@edu.pe.ca.