Tuesday 21 October 2014

Covered area situation remains unaddressed and unresolved

Update: Following up from the last post, we have obtained the “Administrative Procedures” that were created by the North Vancouver School District to guide the “Outdoor Learning Spaces” policy, approved in May 2013 (these procedures have not been publicly posted on the North Vancouver School District website yet). The procedures turned out to be essentially the process and forms one would use to add an outdoor “feature” such as a garden, to their school. Sadly, the procedures still do not address covered areas specifically (as covered areas are not “features” like the others listed in that policy, rather they are functional building components and they can be funded within a school build budget), nor do they address the two questions that we have been asking the North Vancouver School Board for years now:

Given North Vancouver’s rain forest climate, and given the fact North Vancouver schools have had covered areas for as long as most can remember (and there has not been any formal or public input into any decisions to take them away), and given the fact that students go outside one to three times during the school day, and finally, given the fact that North Vancouver’s high annual precipitation levels qualify for Ministry of Education funding of covered areas within school build budgets…
  1. Will the North Vancouver School Board make a public commitment to ensure that covered areas are included in future builds and renovations? And if “no”, why not?
  2. Will the North Vancouver School Board make a public commitment toward finding and funding (or substantially funding, along with some reasonable/feasible assistance from PACs) solutions for the schools that had their covered areas omitted or dismantled? And if “no”, why not?
Many feel that the North Vancouver School District should take responsibility for their decisions to omit covered areas. North Vancouver students should not be forever resigned to going to school in this rainy climate without shelter options. Highlands’s parents, numerous parents from other North Vancouver schools, other North Vancouver residents, even some current board members have expressed that they feel there is a need for covered area options for students.  When there is so much concern and support regarding the need for covered areas, why is it that we can’t get the North Vancouver School District/Board to give this issue the attention that it deserves? Isn't it time for the board to make some public commitments regarding covered areas specifically? And if the answers are “No” to questions 1 & 2 above, then please state the reasons as the public has a right to hear them and to know that covered areas have been fully, carefully and publicly considered. These are decisions that will impact thousands upon thousands of North Vancouver students for decades to come.

Saturday 15 February 2014

Still Waiting...

Many people have been asking for an update. Our Covered Area Committee has been holding off as we have been waiting on the North Vancouver School District (NVSD) action points below. We are still waiting. The following statement (in black font) was recorded in the North Vancouver School Board public meeting minutes of May 29, 2013 board meeting minutes (and our Feb. 2014 Covered Area Committee updates are noted below (in blue):

“During discussion and in response to Trustees’ questions, the following points were clarified:

1.advocacy for capital project supplemental funding was discussed at a recent meeting of the Presidents’ Council, <Note – While we have not heard anything further regarding this, we were hoping that this potential funding, along with NVSB support-in-principle, might bring about some financial support to help the schools that no longer have covered areas (due to NVSD decisions to dismantle or not include them in new builds).

2. and a letter to the Minister is being drafted as well as a request for the Ministry to review rainfall rates for a district where there is variance in precipitation rates; <Note: We are pleased to see that the NVSB obtained written confirmation that indeed, North Vancouver schools do qualify for covered area funding within their capital build or renovation budget. We would like to make a point to the wording “with annual precipitation rates now exceeding 2000 mm”; to clarify that North Vancouver’s annual precipitation has been “exceeding” for decades+ (according to National Building Code sources). 


3. the process and timing in developing the Administrative Procedures where the sub-committee will meet from June to September with recommendations brought to the Policy Review Committee in late September or early October; and consideration of a more formalized capital planning process in the Fall.” <Note – these are the Administrative Procedures that are supposed to guide the policy titled,"Outdoor Learning Spaces". These procedures have not been publicly presented yet. Additionally we have requested that they specifically address covered areas as they are different then the "features" included within "Outdoor Learning Spaces"; they are a functional building component and they can be funded by the Ministry during a build or renovation. We received the following board update in November “The Administrative Procedures supporting the Outdoor Learning Spaces are currently in DRAFT form and will be provided to the Policy Review Committee at a future meeting.  The District's Capital Planning Committee will be called together once the District receives an 'echo check' from the Ministry of Education in response to the submission of the 2013/14 Five Year Capital Plan.” > We have not heard anything further. We are still waiting to see what will transpire with regards to covered areas...many students are still without covered area options to seek shelter from the pouring rain in this rain forest climate.