Frank Spragins High School, Facebook image
EDMONTON — Alberta is introducing new provincewide standards for school emergency preparedness, requiring school boards and individual schools to develop plans covering prevention, response and recovery.
The School Critical Emergency Standards are intended to create consistent expectations for how school authorities prepare for and manage emergencies while allowing individual communities to address local risks and circumstances.
The standards require school boards to establish emergency management frameworks covering prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
Those frameworks must address emergency planning, threat and hazard identification, response protocols, staff training, communications, drills and exercises, supports for people affected by emergencies and post-incident reviews.
“Families need to know that schools are prepared to respond when an emergency happens,” Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said.
“These new standards provide clear, consistent expectations across Alberta while giving school authorities the flexibility to address the unique needs and risks of their communities.”
A recent provincial review found most school authorities already have core safety practices in place, while also identifying inconsistencies and gaps.
Under the new system, school boards will create emergency management frameworks that meet provincial requirements, while individual schools will develop plans aligned with those frameworks and tailored to local hazards, needs and circumstances.
Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said the standards are being introduced alongside a $22-million provincial investment in safer schools.
“The safety and security of children while they are at school is our absolute top priority,” Ellis said.
He said the new standards are intended to ensure school boards, schools and Early Childhood Service operators are prepared to prevent, respond to and recover from critical emergencies.
Supporting guidelines will provide information on roles and responsibilities, drill options, sample response protocols, emergency planning and communications with students, families, staff and school communities.
The standards build on provincial school safety funding announced in April, including $20 million for security infrastructure upgrades and $2 million for safety-related staff training.
All school boards must establish a critical emergency framework by Jan. 4, 2027.
Every school must have a School Critical Emergency Plan aligned with its school authority’s framework by April 5, 2027.
Early Childhood Service operators will also be required to establish both a critical emergency framework and plan by the same respective deadlines.
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