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Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Issue 19
SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903
Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240
ESTEVAN’S
SOURCE FOR LOCAL & REGIONAL NEWS
Police watching school zones and buses By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
The Estevan Police Service is watching for infractions in school zones and around school buses now that school is back in session. Tuesday marked the first day for the 2019-20 school year. Kids were excited to be back in class, to see their friends for the first time in two months and to meet their teachers. “Sometimes they pay a little less attention to what’s going on around them, so we ask drivers to be wary of that. Kids tend to dart out across the street, and cross the street, and some of them sometimes will run across the centre of the street instead of crossing at the corners,” said Deputy Chief Murray Cowan. They will also see instances of kids congregating in one location at or near the school, so there will be more kids in certain areas and street corners. Other people will be dropping off their kids around the schools. “Slow down in those areas, pay attention to your surroundings, and just be safe and drive safe, because the last thing anyone wants to do is hit someone or have an accident in those areas, and from a police perspective, the last thing we ever want to do is to have to investigate something like that,” said Cowan. The school zones are in effect throughout the year, since schools have playgrounds that are in use when school isn’t in session. The EPS also deals with complaints of vehicles driving past school buses when their red lights are flashing and their stop arms are extended. That is an infraction the EPS has zero tolerance for, because it’s a serious safety issue. “We deal throughout the course of the year with this issue, however it seems to be a little more prevalent at the start of each school year. We can’t emphasize enough the safety of our school kids and our students, and the community and the public has to realize they need to stop in both lanes
of traffic,” said Cowan. He believes that some people are confused regarding the rules for school buses, so they think they only have to stop if they’re behind the bus when the stop arm is extended and the lights are flashing. But traffic in both directions has to stop for the buses. “You have to remain stopped until the lights stop flashing and the stop arms on the school buses are retracted alongside the bus,” Cowan said. They have had instances in which people have said they didn’t realize they had to stop if they were facing the bus. “Kids cross from both sides of the street. People can run out from behind the bus or in front of the bus, and if they’re not paying attention, they could be struck or hit, and we don’t want to see that,” said Cowan. If someone is seen disobeying the stop arms, and the EPS is able to identify the driver, charges will be laid. Cowan believes the EPS sees an increase in the number of school bus-related infractions early in the school year because people aren’t thinking about the fact that school buses are back out and kids are back in school. “I just think it’s a public awareness thing,” said Cowan. “It’s kind of like we do every year at Christmas time and holidays when we do impaired driving enforcement. We step those things up. This is the same thing. We step up enforcement around those bus stop areas and in our school zones, and we do it because people forget.” Other people are in a hurry to get to work and aren’t paying attention, so they might not see the parked bus. “The vehicle they’re following could be a school bus, might suddenly stop and activate its lights, and people aren’t just watching,” said Cowan. In 2018, Cowan said he regularly saw reports of people driving past school buses while the stop arm was extended. The EPS has considered different enforcement options, including having police A2 » ZERO
Closing in Hayden Borhot of the Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs football team prepares to tackle an opponent from the Weyburn Comprehensive School Eagles during a scrimmage between the two teams Aug. 30 at Woodlawn Athletic Park. The game was a tune-up for the upcoming season. The Elecs open their season on Sept. 7 at home against Moose Jaw Peacock. Photo by David Willberg
Estevan schools co-operate against bullying School is back, and so are all the excitements and challenges associated with it. Many kids couldn’t wait for the first day of the new school year, but for some that expectation was spoiled with fear or anxiety. Every year thousands of students in Canada skip school because of bullying, and Estevan is no exception. Conflicts with other students seriously affect the learning process. Kids who are being bullied score lower in reading, science and math. It also affects daily life and may result in sleep problems, anxiety, depression and issues. Bullying may take various forms from verbal harassment to physical abuse to cyber bullying and social harassment. The Mercury reached out to the South East Corner Public School Division (SECPSD) to see how schools in the area address the problem. “SECPSD has supports in place for students to help prevent bullying. We track the numbers of incidents and office referrals division-wide and our number of reported incidents is declining year
over year,” said Aaron Hiske, superintendent of education with SECPSD. Sometimes young offenders tend to believe that if they do something the last days of the school year they would be able to get away with it, since everyone would soon be gone for the summer break. However, Hiske noted that for them the end of the year is no different from any other time. “All bullying incidents are treated very seriously regardless of the time of day, place or time in the school year. We encourage students to report all incidents,” Hiske said. The schools suggest that children step out and bring attention to all problems they might be having with classmates or older students. “Talk to a trusted adult. They may be a coach, teacher, principal or family friend. We also have an online bullying reporting tool on our SECPSD website,” Hiske said, pointing out that parents also can and should participate in conflict resolution process, but in a particular way. “We do not see parent reporting of bullying as interference but a necessary part of the
solution. We do not encourage parents to directly confront the individuals involved. But instead parents should seek the help of a person in a position to assist in resolving the issue from an external position. Whether that be a coach, pastor, leader, administrator or counsellor.” Teachers can also help, especially if a kid views the teacher as a trusted adult. In general, schools in the Estevan area have numerous mechanisms to address bullying. “Bullying has been a focus for a number of years and schools have various resources and personnel that can help,” Hike said. But none of it comes into play until children or their parents step forward. There is always help, if children are anxious or afraid to come back to school in September. “If a student is feeling anxious about returning to school they along with a supportive adult should approach the principal. He/she will assist them in accessing the supports we have to offer.” Bullying has a long history. The schools on their side try to make sure children feel
Aaron Hiske, superintendent of education with SECPSD safe enough to get the most out of the educational system and encourage parents and the community to join them in that effort. “We strive to create safe and caring schools across SECPSD where all students feel welcome and safe. This helps us to ensure success and achievement for every student in every school. We recognize this is a combined effort between parent, school and community, and encourage all to engage in this endeavor,” said Hiske.
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