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.