Ensure you and your family are taking steps to stay healthy and reduce the spread of communicable diseases, including COVID-19.

Measures for protecting students, staff and families include staying up to date with vaccines, practising health awareness, and staying home when sick and unable to participate fully in routine activities.

For more information, check the Provincial Communicable Disease Guidelines for K-12 Settings, the Public Health Communicable Diseases Guidance for K-12 Schools, and the SD42 Communicable Disease Prevention Plan, or the provincial COVID-19 safe schools website.

In the Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows School District, the safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. Our commitment to providing a safe and caring learning environment is captured not only in individual school codes of conduct, but also in a number of district policies, including Policy 9410 Safe, Caring and Healthy Schools, Policy 9415: Inclusive Schools, Policy 9420 Dangerous Weapons in the Schools, and Policy 9500 Suspension and Exclusion of Students from School. *

Visit the School Safety page for information about our School Safety Notification system, threat response processes, and more.

Developed by a district-level committee with representatives from CUPE, Maple Ridge Teachers’ Association, Maple Ridge Principals and Vice Principals Association, District Parent Advisory Council, and the Superintendent of Schools, this framework sets out consistent, compassionate, and safety-centred responses to disruptive behaviours in shared learning environments. It offers clarity for staff, support for students, and confidence for families that challenges are addressed with care and professionalism.

Download the Framework for Responding to Disruptions in Classrooms / Schools.

The Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows School District is committed to maintaining comfortable classroom environments for students and staff. While some schools and learning spaces in the district are well-prepared for warmer days, others face greater challenges and require more specific measures.

District and School-Based Measures

We have implemented district and school-based measures to manage classroom temperatures during periods of unusually warm weather. These include:

• Utilizing our existing airflow systems to expel hot air from buildings overnight and draw in cooler air, ensuring that we start each day with a comfortable environment.
• Monitoring indoor temperatures at all sites centrally and remotely. Our facilities staff can adjust the airflow intake as needed to maintain optimal temperatures.
• Providing our daytime staff and evening custodians with guidance on reducing heat buildup in our buildings. This includes closing blinds and window coverings, and minimizing the use of overhead lighting and heat-emitting electronics.

What You Can Do

When the weather warms, we each have a role to play in preparing ourselves and students. Here are a few key things you can do from home:

• Ensure your child is dressed appropriately for sunny weather, which includes lightweight, breathable clothing, hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Do keep in mind that indoor temperatures may be cooler than usual in the mornings, thanks to our overnight ventilation strategies.
• Encourage your child to stay hydrated. Send them to school with water bottles and include hydrating options in their lunches and snacks.
• If your child is particularly sensitive to heat, consider providing them with personal cooling tools (such as ice packs or handheld fans) that might help them stay cooler throughout the day.

If you have specific questions about your school, please reach out to your school principal. For more general information about sun and heat safety, visit https://www.fraserhealth.ca/health-topics-a-to-z/sun-safety.

When making decisions about outdoor activities during wildfire season, the Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows School District follows the guidance provided by Fraser Health and the BC Ministry of Education.

This includes:

• Monitoring Air Quality Regularly: Administrators are directed to check the BC Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) map frequently throughout the day, as levels can shift quickly.
• Applying a Risk-Based Approach: Using the AQHI activity table to guide decisions:
  • Levels 1–3 (Low): Normal outdoor activities are safe.
  • Levels 4–6 (Moderate): Activities continue as usual unless students or staff are symptomatic, in which case activities are reduced or rescheduled.
  • Levels 7–10 (High): Strenuous outdoor activities are reduced or moved indoors, with particular caution for vulnerable individuals.
  • Above 10 (Very High): Strenuous outdoor activities are avoided altogether.
• Adapting at the Local Level: Air quality can differ across sites, even within the same community. Principals and staff are asked to use both the AQHI and their on-the-ground judgment, adjusting plans if local smoke conditions appear worse than readings suggest.
• Supporting Vulnerable Students: Staff are reminded to be vigilant for any signs of smoke-related symptoms (e.g., coughing, throat irritation, headaches). If students are affected, they are brought indoors, and accommodations are made for those with asthma or other conditions.

The district also communicates directly with schools so that staff can make timely adjustments – whether that means modifying recess, moving physical education activities indoors, or rescheduling outdoor events.

You can track your specific community’s latest air quality data map at https://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/bcairquality/readings/find-stations-map.html

The district has ensured that the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are operated and maintained as per standards and specifications for ongoing comfort for workers (as per part 4 of the OHS Regulation).

Schools with recycled/recirculated air systems had their filters upgraded to finer grain filters. The HVAC systems have increase air exchanges in compliance with ASHRAE and WSBC requirements. Air distribution is managed through building automation control systems.

A ventilation system overview for each site is available in the following document: SD42 Ventilation All Sites 2023

Ministry of Education and Child Care Requirement

In 2016, the Ministry of Education and Child Care mandated water lead content testing on all school district facilities. The requirement was to test all school district facilities once every 3 years, with a minimum of 1/3 of the school facilities in a school district’s inventory being tested each year. The results are submitted to Fraser Health and the Ministry of Education and Child Care, and appropriate mitigation strategies, including plumbing upgrades and flushing regimes, are put in place where elevated levels of lead are found.

SD42 Water Testing Program

In the 2024/25 school year, the school district updated its water testing program by adjusting the number of drinking water sources in its facilities. This new water testing strategy, which is also implemented in a number of neighbouring districts, ensures a more streamlined testing schedule, limiting annual testing only to water sources that are being used. Each facility will also have at least one designated water dispensing station, with the goal of increasing this number over time.

Learn more about the SD42 water testing program here: https://www.sd42.ca/testing-district-facilities/