The Burnaby school district was recognized by the city’s top cop this month for the outstanding work of its critical incident response team during the 2016/17 school year.
The team, made up of school district staff and school-based counsellors who have received specialized training in responding to traumatic and critical events, supports schools during incidents that have the potential to adversely affect students and staff.
In 2016/17, the team responded to 24 critical incidents, including a high-profile homicide, suicides, sudden deaths and sexual assaults.
During the course of many of these incidents, the district team worked closely with RCMP. That work earned it a certificate of appreciation from Chief Supt. Deanne Burleigh at Burnaby RCMP’s annual officer in charge awards ceremony last Wednesday.
“The School District 41 Crisis Incident Response Team has positively impacted the lives of children and their families throughout Burnaby while providing invaluable assistance to the Burnaby RCMP,” stated the citation.
