It is still not clear when Nova Scotia schools will have new guidelines on how to address violence.

Education Minister Becky Druhan told reporters, Thursday, they are still working on the Code of Conduct Policy.

She said they have had various rounds of consultations with not only unions, but educators and most recently the Student Advisory Council, last Friday with over 800 attendees.

There, Druhan said, they shared feedback from input they received and sections of the new draft to get feedback.

“So, the team this week is going through that information to compile it, roll it up, to inform future drafts and future consultations.”

Looking for clarity

One of the key things unions and educators have asked for, according to Druhan, is clarity on how to respond to safety issues.

“There’s a desire to see consistency across the province for how those responses unfold.”

She added, safety requires investments and changes in a variety of areas.

“We need to make changes to policy. We need to address resourcing and supports. But in addition to all of that, we also need to improve culture, where not only do you have policies, resources and tools, but you have a community that feels supported in prioritizing safety.”

Druhan added, they are also looking at updating information around suspensions as well.

Keeping a balance

When it comes to the final draft, Druhan said there have been a lot of discussions over every student’s right to an education, alongside every staff’s right to have safe space.

Finding a balance.

“We absolutely need to have the resources and policies and tools to support both of those concepts.”

“But as you can imagine, when you get feedback from 800 people, it takes a minute to ensure that you understand that and incorporate it.”