Board employees who become aware that a student may have engaged in an activity for which a suspension or expulsion may be warranted must report the incident to the principal. The principal has a legislative duty under the Education Act 300.2(3) to investigate all incidents that may be considered for suspension or expulsion that are reported by board employees. Upon conclusion of the investigation, the principal has a legislative duty under the Education Act 300.2(4) to provide the employee who reported the incident with written acknowledgement, using the “Safe Schools Incident Reporting Form – Part II. If a board employee who is not a teacher made the report, the principal will communicate the results of the investigation to that employee if the principal considers it appropriate. The principal must not disclose more personal information than is reasonably necessary for the purpose of communicating the results of the investigation, in accordance with subsection 300.2(5) of the Education Act. This information must be provided in a timely manner so that school staff can work with the principal to best meet the needs of students, support a positive school climate, and help prevent future inappropriate behaviour from taking place. In all cases, the principal must provide the employee who reported the incident with written acknowledgement, using the “Safe Schools Incident Reporting Form – Part II”. Where the principal is the sole witness to an incident, the principal is similarly required to use the reporting form to confirm in writing what he or she witnessed.
1 The legislative duty (ss. 300.2(1) of the Education Act) on all board employees is to report any incident that may be considered for suspension or expulsion to the principal as soon as reasonably possible. All employee reports made to the principal, including those made verbally, must be confirmed in writing, using the “Safe Schools Incident Reporting Form – Part I” in an appropriate and timely manner