National Award for CASLE
National Award for CASLE
Media Release
Monday, January 9, 2006 For Immediate Release
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotian Organization is awarded a national award for children's health and safety in schools.
Nova Scotia's Citizens for A Safe Learning Environment (CASLE) has been awarded the HEALTH PROMOTION AND INNOVATION AWARD OF EXCELLENCE from the Canadian Institute of Child Health (CICH). CASLE received the award at the CICH 8th annual gala dinner held in the Ottawa Congress Centre on National Child Day, 2005.
CASLE, a registered charity, has been credited with improving school health and safety for every school child in the province of Nova Scotia as CASLE's work has led to improvements in the way schools are operated, maintained and upgraded. New schools are also now being built with Healthy Schools Guidelines.
With CASLE's guidance, Halifax West High School was the Province's first Healthy School. The new Citadel High (to replace QEH and St. Pat's High) and the new Sir John A. MacDonald High School are also expected to achieve Healthy School status.
CASLE was begun well over a decade ago by a group of Halifax parents and teachers whose children were affected by their schools' indoor environments. While working to upgrade the conditions in their own schools, the group members were surprised at the condition of schools in general. They saw an apparent lack of knowledge about newly recognized risks to health such as indoor air quality and mould growth, but also about long-known health and safety concerns such as improper asbestos remova. Says President Karen Robinson, “We decided to work to change the system, and that is a long-term commitment.”
Thanks to CASLE's continuing work, more are learning every day that clean air and a healthy school environment are as important to learning as are a good curriculum and good teaching. CASLE's website is a good source of how-to information and links.
www.chebucto.ns.ca/Education/CASLE
CASLE board members have previously won several awards provincially and locally. This is the group's first major national award.
