Before using the activity cards within PlaySport, consult with your provincial, territorial, regional and/or organization’s safety guidelines. For the Ontario Standards, consult the Ontario Physical Activity Safety Standards in Education (OPASSE).
OPASSE represents the minimum (minimum does not refer to minimal safety standards, but to the minimum requirements for safety standards that must be followed in school-based physical activities) standards for risk management practice for school boards. They focus the attention of teachers/coaches/intramural supervisors/school administrators on safe practices, in every activity, in order to minimize the element of risk. OPASSE includes a concussion protocol to help prevent and identify suspected concussions and manage a student’s safe return to learning and physical activity.
The information provided in the OPASSE standards will assist teachers/coaches/intramural supervisors/school administrators in fulfilling their obligation to provide a safe environment while promoting and upholding Indigenous rights and human rights. This includes establishing a physically and emotionally safe environment, treating students equitably and with respect, being sensitive to factors that influence individual student learning, understanding systemic barriers that impact students, and preventing and responding to discrimination and harassment. These actions will ensure that every student’s right to education is respected and realized, and all members of the school community are welcome and included.
By establishing an equitable, inclusive, and safe learning environment, implementing safe instructional practices (e.g., using logical teaching progressions, selecting age-appropriate activities in program preparations that take into account the diverse needs of all students and in which all students can safely engage), teachers/coaches/intramural supervisors/school administrators will guard against foreseeable risks.
Children and youth must also begin to take responsibility from a very young age for their own safety and the safety of others around them in various settings (e.g., at school, in the community, at home). PlaySport can be used to help participants learn safety rules and procedures they can then apply to new situations. Some ways in which participants can contribute to their own safety and the safety of others while taking part in PlaySport activities include:
- following instructions and safety rules and procedures;
- clarifying questions;
- using equipment as instructed and intended;
- wearing appropriate attire;
- monitoring hazards during play; and
- using thinking skills to continually assess risk and take appropriate precautions and actions.
The safety information located in OPASSE and on the activity cards is intended for use in conjunction with your own provincial, regional, or organizational safety standards.