Board wants wired glass out of schools
Glass embedded with wire mesh used at schools in School District No. 46 (SD46) has caused injury to at least one student, which led the school district to request the British Columbia School Trustee Association (BCSTA) ask the Ministry of Education for more funding to address the problem province-wide. That request was approved by the BCSTA at its annual general meeting in April.
“Unlike tempered glass where it breaks and shatters into pieces if somebody hits it and there’s no injury, with wired glass if a hand or foot goes through, you’re stuck. It’s awful. It’s a hazard,” said Trustee Greg Russell at a May 9 Board of Education meeting.
The incidents prompted the district to replace the wired glass in schools “in places where someone could possibly apply pressure and be harmed: doors and around doors,” said Patrick Bocking, SD46 superintendent, in an email. “In our case, we had an incident with wired glass that hurt one of our students,” he said.
Last year, federal organization Canadian General Standards Board revised its safety glazing standard to exclude wired safety glass due to overwhelming pubic safety concerns, as well as lawsuits. According to Construction Canada, wired glass “is the most commonly used fire-rated glazing product in commercial buildings, especially in schools.” Accidents involving wired glass in Ontario schools have led to more than $5 million worth of insurance claims.
Playground fund rejected
More than 50 playgrounds will be built across the province, but not in SD46. The funding is part of an annual $5-million provincial playground fund, intended to relieve pressure from parents and advisory councils, which normally fundraise to offset costs.
“We’ve since found out that we were not successful,” said SD46 secretary-treasurer Nicholas Weswick of the district’s application for a portion of the funds. “It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get [it] this year,” Weswick said at the May 9 meeting before expressing confidence the funds will be awarded to the district in the future.
Russell noted that $5 million “won’t go very far in a province with 60 school districts,” adding that the funds required for playgrounds at SD46 were considerably more than what was allotted to the schools that received the grant.
The district applied for the grant to fund construction at Roberts Creek, Davis Bay and Langdale elementary schools. All elementary schools have playgrounds, but the funds would be used to expand them and introduce universally accessible equipment. Weswick, who spoke with a ministry official, said the ministry prioritized schools that either didn’t have playgrounds or whose equipment was unsafe.
Budget passed
At the May 9 meeting, trustees voted to adopt the SD46 budget of $46,571,205.
