This year is turning out to be one of the busiest for bears in the Tri-Cities, with 15 killed so far, including one whose cubs got caught in a school dumpster Wednesday.
But School District 43 says students are well taken care of when bears are in the area.
The district's health and safety manager, Wendy Bennett, said recently that SD43 takes seriously its job of protecting children when bears are around and kids know that when air horns or whistles blow, it's time to get indoors. Sometimes, students aren't even allowed to head home after school until the bears leave the property and, occasionally, parents are called to escort children home.
"If there's been a bear sighting in the neighbourhood, they always ensure the kids are not alone. The smaller ones, we encourage an adult to be them, as well," Bennett said.
The district has had a bear safety protocol since 2008 and it's reviewed during assemblies and staff meetings. Before that, most schools had their own protocols to respond to bears, Bennett noted.
Craig Mah, who previously was principal at Coquitlam River elementary and helped develop the protocol, said he made it a habit to check the school perimeter for bears before allowing students to step outside.
Now at Heritage Mountain elementary in Port Moody, Mah takes similar precautions and asks neighbours and parents to call him if they see a bear. He recently posted a newsletter with bear safety tips on the school's website.
"Living in Port Moody, you're living with bears," Mah said. "It's just a fact of life."
Dr. Charles Best secondary, which was rated high in a 2007 bear hazard assessment by the city of Coquitlam, now locks its garbage bins after bears were found foraging in them and Bear Aware and the RCMP are usually contacted after a bear sighting to make sure the area is safe.
Principal Mary O'Neill said in an email the district protocol is used at the school and bears haven't been a problem.
"In my experience, the bears were simply travelling through our site," she said. "They never displayed aggressive behaviour towards students."
