Dear parents and guardians,

The safety and well-being of our students is a top priority for Rocky View Schools. As part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining a safe, caring and inclusive learning environment, our school system continues to collaborate closely with key community partners, including local police services, Alberta Health Services (Addictions & Mental Health) and Children’s Services.

Through intensive safety training and collaboration, and as outlined in Administrative Procedure (AP) 351 – Violence Threat Risk Assessment / Assessment of Risk to Self and Others, we have developed a process outlining how we will respond to situations where a student may pose a risk of harm to self or others.

As per AP 351, RVS will take action on any form of threat or threatening behavior directed towards students or staff. A threat is an expression of intent to do harm or act out violently against someone or something. Threats may be verbal, written, drawn, posted on the Internet, or made by gesture. Every threat must be taken seriously, thoroughly investigated and a response and follow through completed. This means that all reported threats will be taken seriously and thoroughly assessed using the process with AP 351.

The goal of this process is to ensure the safety of students and staff, understand the context of the behaviour, and put appropriate support in place for all those involved. By intervening early, we aim to prevent harmful or destructive outcomes. If your school principal becomes aware of a potential safety concern, they will take appropriate and proactive steps in line with the protocol. Should you be invited to a meeting regarding concerns about your child, please understand this is part of the process and is intended to ensure everyone’s safety — including your child’s.

This letter is intended to provide fair notice that our school division is committed to responding to all threat-related behaviours in a consistent, professional, and supportive manner, and in accordance with AP 351.

We also encourage you to review our Responding to Behaviour Guidelines, which explain how safety-related incidents are addressed across the division.

We are proud to offer this level of care and attention to our students and are grateful for your support and the strong partnerships we have with our community agencies.

Sincerely,

Ryan Reed
Superintendent of Schools

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