First Aid Policies of School Boards

Algoma District School Board
REGULAR BOARD MEETING AGENDA FEBRUARY 26, 2019
The Health and Safety Office monitors First Aid Training and informs workplaces of the number of qualified “first aiders” present in each location. The Board encourages staff to attend Standard First Aid / CPR courses and as a result, 107 employees attended training during the 2017-2018 school year. In total, the ADSB has over 250 qualified first aid staff members.

Bluewater District School Board ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE AP 3890
Bluewater District School Board, as an employer, is required to provide First Aid coverage, based on the number of employees at a workplace, as specified in Regulation 1101. The Regulation also identifies the requirements of a “First Aid Station”, the contents of First Aid boxes or kits and the number of first Aid stations to be established.

Halton Board of Education
HDSB Provision of First Aid
The allocation of First Aiders per school/administrative facility are:
• 2 full time employees for each elementary school
• 3 full time employees of secondary school
• 2 full time employees of each administrative facility
Reference: https://www.hdsb.ca/our-board/Policy/ProvisionOfFirstAid.pdf

Red River Valley School Division
First Aid based on Number of workers per shift 1 to 10 workers = FA1 11 to 40 workers= FA1* FA2* 41 to 100workers= FA1 2 FA2’s 101 to 199 workers= 2 FA1’s 2 FA2’s 200 or more 3 workers= FA1’s 3 FA2’s *FA1 – Emergency First Aid with CPR Level C and AED FA2 - Standard First Aid with CPR Level C and AED Reference: EBBD First Aid Training Toronto District School Board
Handbook for Community Partners Toronto District School Board
6.4 First Aid Training
It is strongly recommended that your staff/ volunteers receive training in:

- Basic first aid
-CPR and the use of on-site AEDS (defibrillators)
-Epi-pen use See Operational Procedure - PR.563 Anaphylaxis
Reference: Handbook for Community partners Toronto District School Board

Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board
KAWARTHA PINE RIDGE DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Limestone District School Board
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE 140
For each Board building, at least two staff members or 20% of the staff, whichever is greater, shall hold current first aid qualifications.

Simcoe County District School Board
Safety Procedures
At least two staff members in every school are trained in first aid and CPR. All Simcoe County District School Board schools have Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).

Waterloo Region District School Board
Waterloo Region District School Board Administrative Procedure 3150 FIRST AID
Each WRDSB site is required to have an appropriate number First Aid Responders. The criteria for determining the number of mandated First Aid Responders is based on the current staff and student enrolment numbers at each work site.
School Population (Staff + Students) Under 400 = 2 Mandated First Aid Responders
School Population (Staff + Students) 400 - 600 = 3 Mandated First Aid Responders
School Population (Staff + Students) over 600 = 5 Mandated First Aid Responders
Reference: Waterloo Region District School Board Administrative Procedure 3150 FIRST AID

York Region
News Release CPR Awareness Month
YRDSB takes the safety and well-being of students, staff, families and community members very seriously. The Board continues to provide training to ensure that each school or workplace has at least two staff members trained in CPR and standard first aid.

Teachers Need First Aid in The News

UPDATE: EXCLUSIVE: NO EXTRA FIRST AID TRAINING FOR AREA SCHOOLS
I Heart Radio Feb, 2017
The province, through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board only mandates that one employee of a school must be trained to potentially save a live.

More teachers need to be trained in first aid and CPR
Caledon Enterprise February 23, 2017

Are one or two adults certified in first aid and CPR training at your child’s school enough to provide life saving measures in case of an emergency?

Our local school boards seem to think so.

It’s both surprising and concerning that teachers are not required to be trained in first aid. There’s no legislation mandated by the Ministry of Education that requires Ontario certified teachers to hold first aid and CPR training.



The Surprising Truth About Schools and First Aid
Toronto 4 Kids May, 2016

Legally there is no requirement for teachers and school staff to have current and up to date First Aid & CPR training.

Did you know that legally there is no requirement for teachers and school staff to have current and up to date First Aid & CPR training? Nor are there any legal requirements for staff to have an emergency medical response plan for the children that are in their care. Scary isn’t it!

Hazards At School

My youngest injured herself on an obvious hazard at school. A few Days Later I asked the school principal to reevaluate the hazard, she agreed. I stressed I did not have a solution but I wanted the safety issue discussed. The principal agreed said she was the Health and Safety Representative for the school. Later she told me that the Safety Committee Members decided to remove the hazard. Later a teacher, the principle claimed was on this committee told me she knew nothing about this issue or the committee.

Two years later my child was again was injured, in a freak accident, this time not one one staff member on site had Firs Aaid, this information was kept from me. The school secretary kept saying she did not get around to making a list of people with First Aid/ CPR, not saying no one had the training at the school to make the list.

A teacher told me that not one staff had first aid training, other than the school principle (who was out of the building at the time). The trustees thought this was a union issue not a safety issue, so they did not help, but knew of the issue.

Later I found out that training was indeed a safety issue (covered by WISB Safety Laws). I later found documents online claiming Halton schools obeyed WSIB guidelines when it came to staff being trained in First Aid/ CPR that were released shortly after the second injury.

After telling parents of the issues, dozens of parents complained or asked questions at the school, only then did the school act, in training staff. I have no idea if one of the parents told WSIB, or if the injury report from the school got to the WBSB. Perhaps the problem reached the board level somehow, and that's why Halton made the claim the laws were being meet.

The Halton District Catholic School Board updated their Operation Policy on First Aid:
The Halton Catholic District School Board will sponsor the following number of employees for each site to receive Standard First Aid and C.P.R./A.E.D. with Administrator approval:
• Elementary Schools - 2 employees
• Elementary Schools over 700 staff and students - 3 employees
• Elementary Schools over 900 staff and students - 4 employees
• Secondary Schools - 4 employees
• Central Office Sites - 2 employees 2. Each school site will meet the requirements of WSIB First Aid Regulation 1101 relating to first aid equipment, facilities and trained personnel

The Halton District School Board Letter:
Currently, the Human Resources Department trains staff in Standard First Aid in order to be compliant with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. The minimum training requires two staff are trained in every elementary school and three staff in every secondary school and administrative office. Standard First Aid training is a two day course that includes CPR, defibrillator and emergency first aid.

Concussion Identification Management Policy

Halton District School Board Concussion Protocol.

Administrative Procedure: Concussion Protocol. Halton District School Board

Emergency First Aid Training In order to supplement the Standard First Aid Training required to meet the terms of the WSIB legislation, the Board will offer the one day Emergency First Aid training, in addition to that identified in #1 above, to:
i. 3 full time employees for each elementary school
ii. 2 full time employees of secondary school
iii. 3 full time employees of each administrative facility

ONTARIO INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO ESTABLISH CONCUSSIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE States:
Ministry of Education funding to school districts to support the full implementation of Provincial Policy Memorandum 158 ("PPM 158"), including the costs associated with Ontario Physical and Health Education Association safety guidelines and coaching/first aid certifications;

Rowan's Law

Read when When not one teacher at my kids school had CPR/ first aid training My child suffered an injury, no one was trained how to handle the injury, or recognize a concussion, or any other medical situation, for that matter.

See Also: Ontario Laws First Aid and CPR

Often Provinces Not School Boards Require First Aid Training

When my child had an accident at school, not one staff at my child's school had current First Aid/ CPR trainning. This means if my child stopped breathing, or my child's heart stopped beating, due to an allergic reaction, or any other reason, the paramedics may not have been able to reach my child in time. I know of children that HAVE been given improper first aid after injuries at schools.

Each Provence in Canada requires workplaces (including schools) to have employees with current first aid training. The WISB has he auhority to close any workplace (including schools) who do not meet safety requirments. If I had known this I would have reported my school to the WISB

Newfoundland and Labrador
Occupational Health and Safety First Aid Regulations

Prince Edward Island
New first aid regulations in PEI

Nova Scotia
First Aid Guide

New Brunswick
Occupational Health and Safety Act

Quebec
First-aid Minimum Standards Regulation

Ontario
First Aid Requirements

Manitoba
Workplace Safety and Health Regulation

Alberta
Workplace First Aiders and Legal Requirements

British Columbia
British Columbia Employment Standards Act and Regulations

Nunavut
Nunavut’s Safety Regulations

Northwest Territories
Yukon Territory




Above poster is from Allergy Posters

Trustees, Should School Staff Have training?

Open Letter to Trustee Candidates October 2014,

My child was injured at school, not one teacher had First Aid/ CPR training. Not one staff member at the school, at the time, had First Aid/ CPR training. The Education Act and the Safe School Act do not require this training of teachers or other school staff. I was told this was not a safety concern but a Teachers Union issue.

If You became aware of this situation What would you do?

WSIB (Workplace Safety & Insurance Board) Requires: All employers covered by the Workplace Safety & Insurance Act are required to have first aid equipment, facilities and trained workers in all workplaces. The First Aid Requirements (Regulation 1101) (250.2kb, PDF) states what each employer is required to provide.

WSIB Information

Ontario Labour Information

Would you report the lack of First Aid/ CPR training to the WSIB?

Would you look for the list of currant First Aid/ CPR trained people at schools you visit?




Answers Given By School Trustee Candidates:
Tim O'Brien Burlington, Ontario
Dear parent of wrongfully treated child. I have worked in education for over 27 years. I am appalled that this even happened. I would not only report to WSIB, but to the superintendent of that family of schools as well; and I would definitely look for the current First Aid/CPR trained people at my school visits.
Sincerely,
Tim O'Brien
Halton Catholic Trustee Wards 1 & 2

Denise Nacev, Burlington, ON
I am shocked that it is not a requirement to have at least one trained staff member in the schools. The schools do fall under the WSIB legislation so if elected I would find out what schools do not have a first aid trained staff member and work with the board staff to make sure they get additional training in place.

As a parent I would report this to the WSIB board, this is the safety of children and I do not agree that it is a Teacher’s Union issue. It is a school board issue just under a different legislation.

I hope this helps and if you have any other questions please feel free to contact me again.
Denise


From Letter From HDSB "Currently, the Human Resources Department trains staff in Standard First Aid in order to be compliant with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act." The letter's information is false, my child had an accident where not one school staff was trained in First Aid/ CPR.


Added thought: Sabrina's Law requires Teachers to have allergy training, it DOES NOT require First Aid/ CPR training. If a child has a reaction that causes their heart to stop, the teachers may not have the training to do CPR. Qualified classes recognized by the WSIB.

Not One CPR/ First Aid Trained Teacher At My Kids School

My youngest child suffered an injury at school (2010) not one teacher had up-to-date first aid training, and the school principal was out of the building who had the ONLY current training. I was told this was not a safety issue but a union issue because, making teachers take first aid and CPR training would have to be approved of by the Ontario teachers unions.

This is not entirely true The school violated The First Aid Requirements (WSIA Regulation 1101) It is true teachers are not required to have currant First Aid or CPR Training, but Ontario Workplaces are required to have some staff currently trained in First Aid/ CPR at each workplace with more than four employees. A school is a workplace.

All employers covered by the Workplace Safety Insurance Act are required to have first aid equipment, facilities and trained workers, this means usually only about two trained people (employees) in every school, need to be trained.

The training classes at the local St. Johns Ambulance First Aid Station did not have any of the teachers/staff at my child's school take any classes the week after my child's emergency. Not till SEVERAL parents complained to the school, was a large number of teachers trained at my child's school. A teacher (employee covered by WSIB Ontario) at the school also had a medical emergency later that same month, the school principal who had the only first aid training was in the building at the time, but not at the time of my child's emergency.


Workplace Safety and Insurance Board First Aid Information

In Canada, first aid certificates can be issued by one of four training organizations that provide first aid training in up to ten provinces and three territories (thus, nationally) Canadian Red Cross Society, (Royal)Lifesaving Society (Canada), St. John Ambulance, and Canadian Ski Patrol.

Ontario Approved First Aid Courses

Workplace Safety and Insurance Act
(1) A first aid station shall contain,
(a) a first aid box containing the items required by this Regulation; and
(b) a notice board displaying,
(i) the Board’s poster known as Form 82,
(ii) the valid first aid certificates of qualification of the trained workers on duty, and
(iii) an inspection card with spaces for recording the date of the most recent inspection of the first aid box and the signature of the person making the inspection. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 1101, s. 1 (1).

The school also violated this regulation by not having valid first aid certificates of qualification of the trained workers {teachers or other staff} on duty at the first aid station.

In theory one teacher could complain to the Ontario Teacher's Union that they are working in a unsafe environment with no one trained in CPR/ First Aid, while another teacher could complain to the Ontario Teacher's Union they are feeling pressured to take a First Aid Course. If I knew this information I would have filled a complaint with WSIB, not "just" have asked a person running for the position of school trustee, to see if they knew that teachers did not need to be trained in First Aid/ CPR. She was shocked when she did her own research and discovered that only two teachers were trained in First Aid/ CPR at her own child's school. (2010) She talked to the school trusties (at the time) in each ward in our city, who told her that teachers are not mandated to take First Aid/ CPR training.

A teaching assistant told me, in private, that she avoids getting First Aid/ CPR training because she would be more likely to get a student who had more medical needs.

I wish to thank all the parents who complained to the school my child attended, that did not have one teacher with first aid training. I now would like it to become mandatory for all teachers to have currant First Aid and CPR training. Tell your trusties, your MPs you want all teachers (who are able bodied) to get the training.

Please share with other parents, the fact that Ontario teachers do not need current First Aid training under current laws.



If you wish to share your story (anonymously or by name)contact firstaidinschools@outlook.com I've had a lot of spam on this post, ADs mostly for First Aid Training.