Considering the impact that the numerous restrictions imposed in school grounds can have on the development of children, associations of teachers, parents and support staff believe that schools would benefit from reviewing their codes of conduct.
What you need to know
- Primary schools in Quebec are increasing the number of prohibitions in the playground.
- This goes against a recommendation from the Canadian Pediatric Society which promotes risky play; experts worry about children’s development.
- Teacher and support staff unions are asking schools to review their codes of conduct.
“It is worth each of the school communities considering whether [leur code de vie] is too restrictive or not,” believes the president of the Federation of Education Unions, Richard Bergevin.
“The codes of life must be there. Are they too harsh? Maybe sometimes they are too much. Let the children do experiments, supervised, and that will encourage their autonomy,” adds the president of the Federation of School Support Personnel (FPSS-CSQ), Éric Pronovost. “We must provide a safe environment, take calculated risks, remove serious dangers, supervise, treat injuries in a positive way. It’s all part of the work we do. But let’s be careful not to eliminate all risks for all children. […] Our members are able to analyze what is at risk and what is not at risk. »
In a file published on Saturday, The Press presented numerous prohibitions contained in the codes of conduct of hundreds of primary schools in the province. The king of the mountain, snowball fights, climbing or playing in puddles are largely prohibited. Some of these limits imposed on children seem to contradict an opinion released in early 2024 by the Canadian Pediatric Society which made a strong plea to encourage risky play among children.
A recent review
According to Richard Bergevin, the opinion of pediatricians “is still something new”. “And the codes of living, even if they can be changed annually, they cannot be changed every week,” he says.
The codes of conduct are in fact adopted by the governing boards of primary schools on which, in particular, parents sit.
President of the Federation of Parents’ Committees of Quebec, Mélanie Laviolette recognizes that they are “sometimes adopted hastily.” “It’s rare that this is discussed in depth in meetings,” she says.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The president of the Federation of Parents’ Committees of Quebec, Mélanie Laviolette
Mme Laviolette invites parents “to review the codes of conduct and to discuss them”, for example by conducting surveys with parents and school stakeholders. “A code of conduct is designed to guarantee a safe environment for our children. It’s not meant to be a restrictive environment,” she says.
Adapt according to the environment
For Mr. Bergevin, it is essential that the codes of living take into account the reality of each environment. “We are not against the fact that there is greater freedom for young people. But it must be analyzed according to each school. » Allowing risky play is “easier to apply for a single child,” he recalls.
PHOTO RYAN REMIORZ, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
The president of the Federation of Education Unions, Richard Bergevin
In a school environment, we do not take care of just one child. We care for a large group of children in a limited context of supervisors. So we must also take this reality into account in the code of life.
Richard Bergevin. President of the Federation of Education Unions
Éric Pronovost has a similar opinion. “We have realities that are specific to each school. It even goes down to the type of course. There are schoolyards that are asphalt and others that are grass or gravel. You have to analyze everything […]. »
He gives the following example: rather than systematically prohibiting kindergarten students from doing an activity deemed risky for younger children, why not allow them to try it when the educator is nearby? “It’s all in the explanation, in the approach. In the way of saying things: “Do you feel like trying it today? We’re going to do it.” You pass one at a time and after that, you congratulate him. It just gives him confidence. That doesn’t mean we’re going to do it every time, but to live [des expériences]it’s great for child development. »
With this in mind, Richard Bergevin wants pediatricians to do “educational work” and “teach different circles and parents what they mean by risky play and how we should regulate that”. “I think schools need to take into account [de l’avis des pédiatres] and must take the time to ask themselves if their code of life is well adapted to this need of children to have a little more freedom in their play, says Mr. Bergevin. The situation must be safe, but we must not be too restrictive either. »