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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-10-01, Page 28The terms “lockdown” and “hold and secure” will now become part of the vocabulary – hopefully only in the form of fire drill-style practice run-throughs – in schools throughout the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board. At a regular meeting Monday, Sept. 28, trustees approved amendments to the board policy governing each school’s “Emergency Procedures Manual.” According to education superintendent Dan Parr, the main impetus for the changes was a decree from the provincial Education Ministry that schools throughout the province use the same terminology to identify and react to potential criminal threats on or adjacent to school property. The first change was to the policy’s title: it now governs each school’s “Emergency Procedures and Lockdown Manual.” In an interview, Parr explained that the term “lockdown” has not been used in the Huron-Perth board. But, he added, each school was directed to develop its own emergency response plan, and “we have found that . . . some schools were practicing what amounted to lockdowns as part of that plan.” Now, every school will have to follow that practice. As part of the amendments, “Lockdown Procedures” was added to an already-existing list of actions that must be included in a school’s emergency response plan. Also included is a list of things which must be addressed when practicing a lockdown. In an already-existing section about the arrival of an uninvited intruder or trespasser, additions were made to differentiate between a “lockdown” and “hold and secure” scenarios. “If we have what are termed ‘a major incident’ or ‘a threat of danger or violence’ that’s actually occurring on the school property, the school goes into lockdown,” Parr explained. “If the threat is in the neighbourhood, the school goes into ‘hold and secure’.” Under a lockdown, teachers are directed to keep students in classrooms and secure the doors to the classrooms. Under a “hold and secure,” the school continues to operate as normal, but the external entrances/exits are locked. Stratford trustee Ron Marcy wondered if students will be made aware that a lockdown practice is underway, or if it’s the real thing. Parr said students will not be informed. Fellow superintendent JoAnn MacGregor, who was a principal until last year, added there was no advance notice when her school practiced a lockdown, even for the teachers. She said it’s important, however, to inform teachers and parents at the beginning of the year that the possibility exists of conducting a lockdown practice drill. On the run Students made the trip to Londesborough last week for the annual regional cross country meet at Hullett Central Public School. Hullett’s Colin Wilts is hot on the tail of Clinton competitor McKenzie Stevens. Hours of races were topped off by awards in the afternoon for the day’s top performers. (Shawn Loughlin photo) PAGE 28. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2009. HPCDSB amends emergency policy 404 Queen St., Blyth 519-523-4792 541 Turnberry St., Brussels 519-887-9114 The Citizen See our wonderful selection of books at... Entertaining Books for Fall Reading WILD TURKEYS Whether you want to hunt the growing population of wild turkeys across southern Ontario or simply watch them, this 160-page book helps with tips on the bird’s habits and habitat, hunting equipment, and even field dressing instructions and recipes. $21.95 ONTARIO’S HERITAGE QUILTS Hundreds of colour photos and plenty of text tell of Ontario’s long history of quilt making. Log cabin, star, crazy and appliqued quilts are all features. There are even some quilt patterns. $24.95 THE WOODLOT MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK Stewart Hilts and Peter Mitchell from the University of Guelph give tips on how to make the most from your woodlot. $24.95 ROOT CELLARING Natural Cold Storage for Fruits and Vegetables Save money and help the environment by learning how to store your fruits and vegetables the natural way. Learn about simple tips for in-garden storage or more elaborate cellars and how to make them work. $19.95 HARVEST DUST Tales of Farm Life 1913-1976 John R. Hardy whose Rusty Rails told the story of railways, turns to stories from his home area near Goderich in a tribute to farm life, complete with his photos from over the years. $29.95 US LITTLE PEOPLE Waterloo County photographer Carl Hiebert takes us into the closed world of Old Order Mennonite families with his beautiful photographs. $19.95 BARNYARD GAMES & PUZZLES For kids who like the farm this book contains 100 mazes, word games, jokes and riddles, brain teasers and fun activities illustrated with lots of cartoon barnyard animals. $13.50 VEGETABLES, HERBS & FRUITS: An Illustrated Encyclopedia At more than 600 pages this is the definitive source book to growing, harvesting, preserving and cooking all kinds of fruits, vegetables and herbs — including medicinal and other uses. $29.95 By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen Blyth firefighters battled a fire at a Nature Centre Road property Monday night. Keith and Barb Black reported the blaze which was in a shed on their property at 8:30 p.m. Chief Paul Josling said the shed was full of firewood. “There was 50-60 cord. It was packed to the rafters.” Also in the building was the boiler for the house. “As of today they have no heat for the home.” While the cause was not officially determined, Josling suspects that some sparks from the boiler were to blame. “The fire started around the furnace and caught a pile of wood.” The chief added that there was nothing unusual in having the wood in the same building as the boiler. “It was back the right distance. It was just one of those things.” The building is a total loss and Josling estimates the damage at between $20,000 and $25,000. Firefighters were on the scene until 11:30 p.m. While the shed was close to another exterior building on the property, Josling said, the wind was in their favour. “There was never any danger of it spreading.” Wingham Fire Department assisted at the fire with their tanker to draw water. A Blyth woman and her childrencame upon a shocking display ofcruelty while out for an eveningwalk on Sunday. Erlene Caldwell said it was about 8:30 p.m. when she, Jessica, 11 and Jarvis, eight, noticed something strange on the Queen Street bridge just north of downtown Blyth. As they got closer, they discovered a small kitten with a plastic bag over its head. “The string around it was tied so tight we had trouble getting it off,” said Caldwell. Though the kitten appeareddisoriented, Caldwell said shedoesn’t think it had been in thissituation for too long by the timethey arrived. “It took off as soon aswe got it loose. It was so scared,poor little thing.” Caldwell said it was a tortoiseshell kitten, probably about six months old. Anyone who may have any information on who might be responsbile for this is asked to call the Huron Branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at 519-440-0250. If caught the person responsible would face criminal charges. Family saves kitty By Bonnie GroppThe Citizen Blyth firefighters battle shed blaze By Bonnie Gropp The Citizen Classified advertisements published in The Citizen are now available on our website at www.northhuron.on.ca