A new accountability program is being launched at Estevan Comprehensive School(ECS) that their administration is counting on to help parents, students and teachers.
The Safe Arrival program is set up to ensure students arrive at school daily and for parents to know they have arrived and are safe.
“If the student is a no show and it’s indicated on the morning attendance sheet, the parents get an immediate contact from the school,” said Brian Wright, vice-principal at ECS.
That contact could be a phone call, email or text message, or all three; whatever the parents use to communicate.
“We have that contact information in our data system already, so it’s just a matter of notification. And if a student is absent, the communication begins immediately,” he said.
New apps for phones, websites or mobile or landline phones can all figure into the equation.
If the student is going to be absent for any reason, the communication works in reverse. The parent merely needs to let the school know before 9 a.m. “If that is done, then everything is perfect. Now we know not to expect the student and everything can move on,” said Wright. “We’re responsible for the kids, just as the parents are, therefore, if we’re not informed, we’re supposing they’re supposed to be in school or something has gone wrong.”
Of course, there are safeguards in place so the student can’t compromise the communication system, by phoning or texting the school pretending to be the parent, thanks to personal identification information and numbers.
“It’s a pilot program for South East Cornerstone Public School Division, and if it works now at ECS, then it will spread out to the other schools in the division next fall,” said Wright, referring to the project that began on May 2.
“It’s a program that makes sense. It’s not new to Canada, other school divisions are using it; and really, it’s about accountability from all players in the education system. If we don’t have communication with parents as to where their child is, then it’s no good for the system, the parent or the student.”
The system has been delivered by a Canadian company based out of Toronto and Ottawa who have added details and safeguards as they have refined the service over a period of time.
Wright said ECS has student and parent/guardian data on file but had never enjoyed a real convenient way to contact parents quickly and consistently in the past. Now they do.
