Creating an environment for student success

A positive school environment helps your child learn, grow and succeed. This means your child’s school:

  • works with the school board to prevent and address inappropriate or harmful behaviour
  • supports a respectful and safe learning environment for students
  • has a culture of mutual respect

Schools are expected to maintain safe, respectful, and supportive learning environments for students, staff and families. We all have a role to play. To create and maintain a positive school environment, school and school boards:

  • promote positive behaviour
  • involve the whole school community
  • make the learning environment safe and accepting
  • support students to succeed

Promoting positive behaviour

Every school board is required to have a local code of conduct, based on the provincial Code of Conduct. Each school:

To help achieve a positive school climate, boards and schools should:

  • promote positive behaviour through the board's code of conduct and equity and inclusive education policy
  • demonstrate respect, fairness and kindness
  • build healthy relationships that are free from discrimination and harassment

Involving the whole school community

Schools and school boards involve all members of the school community in meaningful dialogue and open and ongoing conversations to address barriers to inclusion, including:

  • students
  • parents, caregivers and guardians
  • families
  • Elders
  • external agencies
  • school staff and principals
  • school community members

Supporting Positive Learning Environments

Schools and school boards work to:

  • strengthen bullying prevention and intervention strategies
  • maintain safe and respectful learning environments
  • support effective teaching and learning practices

Supporting students to succeed

Schools and school boards work to:

  • encourage students to be positive leaders and role models (for example, by speaking out on issues such as bullying)
  • inspire and support every student to succeed in an environment of high expectations
  • support students through programs and initiatives

Promoting school community and safety

Schools and school boards have policies and protocols in place to:

School resource officers and youth engagement officer programs

Some local police services offer a school resource officer or youth engagement officer program to school boards.

Your school board must implement this program if your local police service offers it.

In this program, police services work with local school boards to promote:

  • positive relationships with students, the school and surrounding community
  • safety
  • violence prevention 

They can provide presentations and educational workshops to students on safety topics such as:

  • road, bike and pedestrian safety
  • cyber safety
  • anti-sex trafficking

By educating students about community safety, these programs help:

  • strengthen the relationship between police, the community and students
  • build trust and enhance neighbourhood safety
  • reduce school-related incidents
  • increase safety in and around schools
  • make students feel safe at school

Contact your school board if you have questions about these programs.

Supporting student success

Schools offer programs to help students who face barriers or need extra help to succeed and thrive in their learning.

Each school has a student success team that gives extra attention and support to students who need it.

In addition to student success teams, there are other programs to help students, including:

Learn more about programs for student success.