New definition highlights authorized persons.

Supervisors of Facility Services (SoFS) and Caretakers’ roles have been more formally outlined including:

• day-to-day operations such as partition operation, monthly inspections, communicating and requesting service needs and participating in training, and
• SoFS responsibility for facilitating training program.

Principals’ responsibilities have been revised to reflect:

• normal school operating periods previously identified as day-to-day,
• process for reporting operational issues to on-site Caretaking staff,
• process for managing an effective key control system,‌
• increased safety measures, and
• process for communicating an inoperable dividing partition.

Administrative Services’ responsibilities have been added to reflect process for identifying municipal representatives who require training and arranging for waiver completion.

Identified Municipal Representatives’ responsibilities have been added to reflect training and waiver requirements.‌

Authorized Persons’ responsibilities have been revised to reflect safety measures and the process for reporting damaged or unsafe dividing partitions.

Principals are now required to:

• notify Caretakers directly for all operational issues related to dividing partitions;
• after a damaged or unsafe dividing partition is identified and reported, relocate room occupants and curtail the use of the room until such time that the partition is repaired;
• provide communication updates to all persons affected by a room which cannot be used because of an inoperable partition; and
• manage an effective key control system which would only permit authorized persons to access keys.‌

Administrative Services are now required to:

• identify any municipal representatives who require training; and
• arrange for waiver completion after such training is completed. Identified Municipal Representatives are now required to:
• participate in a training program prior operating dividing partitions; and‌
• complete a waiver provided by Administrative Services after receiving such training.

Authorized Persons are now required to:

• where possible, perform partition operation prior to room occupants entering a space; if not possible, operators shall follow the guidelines for opening and closing dividing partitions as outlined in the required training; and
• for untrained persons, take direction from a trained person when asked to assist with partition operation.

Revisions to the Dividing Partitions Procedure were approved at the September 23, 2014 Senior Team Meeting. This procedure will be posted and adopted by the system as a working document. Comments will be received for six school months and will be considered by the appropriate staff and committees in April 2015.

Questions about the content of the Dividing Partitions procedure should be raised with your principal, manager or supervisor. If additional clarification is required, principals, managers and supervisors may contact Jerry Stoangi, Senior Manager of Plant Services and Pierre Schipper, Manager of Facility Services (Operations).

In accordance with Board Policy #285.0, Board Policies, Procedures and Supporting Documents, the Board welcomes all comments and suggestions on Board policy and procedure.

Input is an important component of the review process. If you feel a policy and/or procedure needs to be revised, it is most helpful if you outline clearly the specific section(s) of the policy and/or procedure in which you are not comfortable, the reason(s) for your concern(s) and also suggest specific alternate wording to reflect your position.

Specific recommendations should be submitted via e-mail to policy.committee@yrdsb.ca, or to the attention of the Assistant Manager, Board and Trustee Services by fax at 905-727-3984 or in hard copy at the following mailing address:

York Region District School Board The Education Centre – Aurora‌‌

Attention: Assistant Manager, Board and Trustee Services 60 Wellington Street West, Box 40‌

Aurora, ON L4G 3H2

Questions regarding the policy and procedure review process can be directed to the Assistant Manager, Board and Trustee Services at policy.committee@yrdsb.ca or 905-727-0022 extension 2217.