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). 

June 28, 2013 Subject: Annual Precipitation and Covered Play Areas
Letter of joint advocacy to Education Minister Peter Fassbender
July 15, 2013
Letter of response from Doug Stewart, A/Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education

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.