Notwithstanding anything in this section, teachers who are considering adopting or adapting any of these tips or suggestions are encouraged and reminded to do so in an informed way that a) respects collective agreements, b) adheres to board policies and other regulations and laws governing the profession, and c) does not adversely affect their own well-being.

As elementary teachers and educators, we can address equity issues and concerns with parents and guardians in these ways:

• Take time early on in the school year to create safe learning spaces in the classroom and school. Through student stories and sharing at home, parents and guardians will learn of the importance, in the classroom and at school, attributed to students’ safety and well-being.
• Get to know students. Knowing them well can help us not only support their learning, but also help us recognize signs or symptoms of underlying safety or wellness issues. This will help us know when to reach out to their parents and guardians.
• Co-create norms and learning community ground rules with students.  A prompt that invites student contributions might be “How do each and all of us make sure this is a safe space where everyone belongs?” Post norms in the classroom and share them with parents.
• Deliberately build in age-appropriate opportunities (“teachable moments”), where they occur naturally, to explore health and well-being issues.
• Consistently model attitudes, behaviours and actions that underscore the importance, among others, of physical, emotional, and intellectual safety.
• Alert parents if there are sudden or unexpected changes in behaviour, dress, attitude, effort, among others.
• Deal with safety and well-being issues sensitively and diplomatically; parents and guardians may be reluctant to hear about them or be in a state of denial.
• Find sensitive ways to tackle taboos and stigmas associated with health issues (especially mental health) in dealings with parents.
• During formal face-to-face meetings or phone calls with parents, share explicitly the deliberate efforts to make safety and well-being a priority.
• Share with parents and guardians only specific behavioural observations about students.  Do not attempt to diagnose or treat mental health and medical issues beyond the scope of your training. This is something that can only be handled by trained professionals.
• Consider working through the Centre ontarien de prévention des agressions‘s (COPA) full 10-module online bullying prevention course/resources for teachers  (http://bullying-prevention.safeatschool.ca/).  Also worth exploring are modules 6, 7, and 8 in COPA’s new anti-bullying 9-module course/resource for parents (http://parents.copahabitat.ca/) in relation to modules 7, 8 and 9 in COPA’s online bullying prevention course/resource for teachers (http://bullying-prevention.safeatschool.ca/).
• Invite parents and guardians to attend learning sessions, offered by trained health and/or safety experts, that explore health or safety issues. This can help raise awareness – among all those who care for students – to better understand common health concerns and issues and avenues for support.
•  Be aware of the duty, under Section 72 of the Child and Family Services Act (CFSA), to promptly report any suspicions that a child is or may be in need of protection to a children’s aid society (CAS).  The need for protection may include physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect, and risk of harm.
•  Adhere to the legal obligations and regulatory expectations of the profession (e.g., Ethical Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession).
•  Know the limits and boundaries of your professional responsibility or obligations with respect to safety and well-being of students.
•  Seek assistance, support and counsel from other colleagues or professionals (e.g., guidance counsellor, special education teacher, settlement worker, social worker, psychologist, administrator, union steward / local union staff) about safety and well-being issues and concerns.

This section offers some considerations, approaches, and strategies that could be harnessed to support working with parents and guardians. These suggestions should be personalized by a teacher or educator to meet their own needs and to respond to their specific context. Furthermore, clearly some tips reflect approaches that cannot be undertaken by an individual teacher.

Notwithstanding anything in this section, teachers who are considering adopting or adapting any of these tips or suggestions are encouraged and reminded to do so in an informed way that a) respects collective agreements, b) adheres to board policies and other regulations and laws governing the profession, and c) does not adversely affect their own well-being.

As secondary teachers and educators, we can engage parents and guardians in safety and well-being issues in these ways:

• Take time early on in the school year or semester to create safe learning spaces in the classroom and school. Through student stories and sharing at home, parents and guardians will learn of the concern, in the classroom and at school, for students’ safety and well-being.
• Get to know students. Knowing them well can help us not only support their learning, but also help us recognize signs or symptoms of underlying safety or wellness issues. This will help us know when to reach out to their parents and guardians.
• Co-create classroom norms or ground rules with students. A prompt that invites student contributions might be “What commitments can each and all of us make to ensure this is a safe space where everyone belongs and can learn?”. Post norms in the classroom and share them with parents.
• Deliberately build in age-appropriate opportunities (“teachable moments”), where they occur naturally in the course or units of study, to explore health and well-being issues.
• Consistently model attitudes, behaviours and actions that underscore the importance, among others, of physical, emotional, and intellectual safety.
• Alert parents if there are sudden or unexpected changes in behaviour, dress, attitude, effort, among others.
• Deal with safety and well-being issues sensitively and diplomatically; parents and guardians may be reluctant to hear about them or be in a state of denial.
• Find sensitive ways to tackle taboos and stigmas associated with health issues (especially mental health) in dealings with parents.
• During formal face-to-face meetings or phone calls with parents, share explicitly the deliberate efforts to make safety and well-being a priority.
• Share with parents and guardians only specific behavioural observations about students.  Do not attempt to diagnose or treat mental health and medical issues beyond the scope of your training. This is something that can only be handled by trained professionals.
• Consider working through the Centre ontarien de prévention des agressions‘s (COPA) full 10-module online bullying prevention course/resources for teachers  (http://bullying-prevention.safeatschool.ca/).  Also worth exploring are modules 6, 7, and 8 in COPA’s new anti-bullying 9-module course/resource for parents (http://parents.copahabitat.ca/) in relation to modules 7, 8 and 9 in COPA’s online bullying prevention course/resource for teachers (http://bullying-prevention.safeatschool.ca/).
• Invite parents and guardians to attend learning sessions, offered by trained health and/or safety experts, that explore health or safety issues. This can help raise awareness – among all those who care for students – to better understand common health concerns and issues and avenues for support.
• Be aware of the duty, under Section 72 of the Child and Family Services Act (CFSA), to promptly report any suspicions that a child is or may be in need of protection to a children’s aid society (CAS). The need for protection may include physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect, and risk of harm.
• Adhere to the legal obligations and regulatory expectations of the profession (e.g., Ethical Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession).
• Know the limits and boundaries of your professional responsibility or obligations with respect to safety and well-being of students.
• Seek assistance, support and counsel from other colleagues or professionals (e.g., guidance counsellor, special education teacher, settlement worker, social worker, psychologist, administrator, branch president / local union district staff) about safety and well-being issues and concerns