The Province has appointed the Honourable David H. Jenkins, former Chief Justice of Prince Edward Island and Chief Justice of the Prince Edward Island Court of Appeal, to lead a third-party review of the policies, procedures, and processes of both the Public Schools Branch, la Commission scolaire de langue française, and the Department of Education and Early Years.
Following serious incidents related to student safety, the third-party review aims to identify vulnerabilities in existing safeguards, recommend improvements, and propose new measures to better protect children in Island schools.
"Children's safety is non-negotiable. It is clear that change is needed to strengthen the safeguards our education authorities currently have in place. This review will be an informative piece of work that will guide the improvements needed to ensure Island students and their families have confidence our education system where the learning environments are high-quality, supportive, and safe."
- Minister of Education and Early Years Robin Croucher
Jenkins will provide the Province with a qualitative report of the review's findings and recommendations to help inform the improvements to both education authorities' processes related to reporting and responding to safety incidents.
"It is an honour to lead this important review to strengthen protections for children in the Island school system. This is a serious responsibility, and I will approach it with the diligence and care it deserves, so that the findings may help restore and reinforce public trust in the education system," added the Honourable David H. Jenkins.
The review will begin June 2 and is expected to take several months. Jenkins will engage with a wide range of stakeholders including both education authorities, students and their families, education staff, other education partners, among other interested parties.
Once completed, the final report will be shared publicly.
