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Students given green light for overnight travel, pending plan approval: FFSD

Flin Flon students, chaperones, coaches and teachers are closer to being able to travel for school events and sports.
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Inside of an empty bus.

Flin Flon students, chaperones, coaches and teachers are closer to being able to travel for school events and sports.

The Flin Flon School Division (FFSD) board of trustees presented and passed a motion Dec 7 to allow students and school groups to stay overnight outside Flin Flon as part of school programming. The change will allow students from Hapnot Collegiate, Ecole McIsaac School, Ruth Betts Community School and Many Faces Education Centre to take part in school travel, field trips or school sports events that require leaving Flin Flon for at least one night.

“There was a committee formed with some trustees, administrators, staff and parents and they spent some time answering questions and coming up with a plan. The committee came back with a recommendation to allow travel,” said board chair Leslie Fernandes.

“Based on those little bits and pieces, they came up with a working plan and we were able to approve it.”

Plans for individual trips will need to be submitted in advance to FFSD senior administration and approved by principals for all involved FFSD schools.

“They have to submit their bus seating plans which will coincide with their hotel room accommodations,” said FFSD superintendent Tammy Ballantyne.

“They need to submit those plans to their school principal who signs off on them, followed by a requirement of me signing off.”

Any approved plan would have to fit within current Manitoba public health orders and applicable rules and restrictions.

“We would never not follow public health orders,” said Fernandes.

That includes, as of Dec. 6, having all participants in school sports events age 12 and up to be at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19 or have proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test. The FFSD also has allowed attendees at school events, including sports games and tournaments, as long as all attendees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and supply a valid vaccination card.

“They would have to indicate what their plans are while on the trip and ensure that plans are inclusive of all, as not all students have to be fully vaccinated,” said Ballantyne.

“All school divisions across the province would have to ensure their students have been tested or have their first dose, regardless of where they travel.”

News of the change came too late for full participation in volleyball and soccer season - while Hapnot organized teams for both sports, neither were able to take part in provincial tournaments this year, which took place in southern communities where overnight stays would have been required. Hapnot’s volleyball teams did take part in games, doing all travel and play in one day before heading home - the Kings and Kweens hosted a season-ending volleyball tournament in such a way earlier this month.

The rule change will apply for other sports like basketball and track and field if COVID-19 conditions and related health orders remain favourable. FFSD administration have not ruled out disapproving trips to areas where COVID-19 case rates or hospitalization rates are high, but will judge on a case-by-case basis. Whether or not the other three school divisions in northern Manitoba - Thompson’s Mystery Lake School Division, The Pas-based Kelsey School Division and Frontier School Division - have also approved such changes is unknown as of press time.

A petition that circulated throughout November, organized by Hapnot Collegiate students, received more than 600 signatures in favour of allowing overnight travel for student and school trips. Students and parents also spoke to the board regarding then-current rules and regulations last month.

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