Being prepared is essential to the establishment of a safe, inclusive, and equitable learning environment for physical activity at school.
Being prepared involves understanding the responsibilities highlighted in The Ontario Curriculum, Health and Physical Education, Grades 1-8 and Grades 9-12. These include:
- planning activities with safety as a primary consideration;
- establishing and supporting a culture of safety mindedness; and
- prioritizing students’ physical, emotional and social safety.
Being prepared also involves being knowledgeable of the safety policies/procedures/standards that need to be followed. These include:
- School Board policies/procedures: including student health and safety (e.g., concussion, medical conditions), emergency response, and approval/permissions for trips.
- Ontario Physical Activity Safety Standards in Education (OPASSE) that provides:
- safety standards: for curricular, intramural and interschool activities;
- concussion resources: including protocol, tools, codes of conduct, awareness resources, and training; and
- tools and resources: that can assist in planning and implementation.