Cariboo school district responds to culture review recommendations

School District 27 released a detailed action plan in response to a review of its culture and climate

School District 27 has created a detailed plan to respond to 18 recommendations put forward by SST following a culture and climate review of the district. Andie Mollins, Local Journalism Initiative

With less than one week to go before classes begin, School District 27 (SD 27) is sharing plans made in response to a climate review of the district last year.

The Ministry of Education and Child Care (MECC) ordered the review as growing concerns were raised around bullying, racism and violence in the district. Safer Schools Together (SST) conducted the review and an executive summary was made available to the public in May. 

Along with putting forward key recommendations, the review encouraged the district to seek external support in developing a plan to successfully implement change. 

"We have done a lot of work, and there is much more to do around safety and inclusivity in our district," said the district’s superintendent Cheryl Lenardon in a news release posted on the district’s website. 

18 key recommendations with detailed actions

The district’s Response Plan, dated to August 2025, includes detailed actions and status on 18 key recommendations from the SD 27 School Community Culture and Climate Review. The recommendations range from improving communication coming from the district, developing a user-friendly protocol for families contacting schools and the district, reviewing the code of conduct, increasing awareness around the Erase reporting tool, providing sessions for caregivers on bullying, cultural sensitivity and resolving conflict, reviewing the district’s attendance support program and reviewing its alternative education programs. 

Among the actions it is taking, the district is partnering with SST and with the BC School Outreach Program to develop and provide additional training to staff on safe school communities, basic threat risk assessment, noticing and responding to worrisome behaviours, Critical Incidents Response, anti-racism and trauma-informed schools. The district is developing a mobile app which will send communication notifications to caregivers and is also planning to create an anti-racism committee, an anti-racism learning plan and an anti-Indigenous racism strategy.

"Every day, we are learning more of what Truth and Reconciliation asks of us in our schools, offices, buses, and playgrounds," said SD 27 Board of Education Chair Angie Delainey in the district’s release. "This report gives us clarity about where we are at and where we need to go."

Building on existing priorities

While the district has acknowledged there is work to do, much of its messaging emphasized how it has already been working towards goals which align with the review’s recommendations. Furthermore, those who have been vocal with their concerns have been adamant in their demands for a full-on investigation into the district and have previously called for resignations and for a fresh start. The district’s response to the review, however, suggests some continuity. 

“Many of these recommendations reinforce existing priorities within the district’s current strategic plan, which is aligned with the Framework for Enhancing Student Learning (FESL). The District’s strategic plan will be further adjusted to include recommendations from the Review that were not already underway,” reads the response plan. 

The plan notes the district will be monitoring, adjusting and further developing this first iteration of its action plan in the year ahead. 

“We are looking forward to a positive start to the new school year and to sharing the actions and outcomes of this plan,” Lenardon wrote in an email to the Tribune. She invited the community to celebrate their successes by following the district’s Key Focus Areas for Enhancing Learner Success webpage.

The Tribune reached out to Calvin Dubray, education director for the community of Esk'etemc which has vocalized calls for change and hosted a rally at the school district's doorstep in April. Dubray said Esk'etemc was not notified of the plan and thus would be taking a few days to thoroughly review it before sharing their thoughts.

"To comment on a plan that we have just been made aware of and have yet to read thoroughly would be unjust to the very focus of this plan - our youth," Dubray wrote to the Tribune. 

Responding to whether the district's plan meets expectations, the ministry said Minister Lisa Beare received the first draft of the workplan on July 31. 

"The work now is in community to further refine the plan with Rightsholders and their education partners to ensure the spirit and intent of the goals are actioned in a good way," the ministry wrote.