As teachers focus on being back in the classroom, school boards are also working to build community partnerships as part of the province's Anti-Sex Trafficking Policy.
The Ministry of Education announced a new policy framework this summer to ensure educators have the tools they need to recognize, respond, and prevent incidents of trafficking.
School boards were told to develop protocols with multi-sectoral partnerships by January 31, 2022.
With the deadline just four months away, both the St. Clair Catholic District School Board (SCCDSB) and Lambton Kent District School Board are working on the program memorandum and are building upon support and education tools already in place.
LKDSB System Coordinator of Safe Schools Mark Houghton said next steps for the board include bringing in more local information to provide specifics on what to look for and what community supports are available. He also said the school board currently has a good working relationship with police services but is working on developing additional partnerships.
"The Sexual Assault Survivors' Centre [of Sarnia-Lambton] is pretty prominent in our area dealing with survivors. They have workshops and stuff that they are offering to do so we're just in the process of connecting with them and working out the details of how we might be able to employ their services moving forward," he said. Houghton also said efforts to build partnerships with similar organizations in Chatham-Kent will be made.
Houghton said part of the need to increase awareness to human trafficking is Chatham-Kent's proximity to Highway 401 and Sarnia-Lambton's proximity to Highway 402.
"Part of the information that goes out is identifying that that's why it's such a prominent thing in our area, it's because of the proximity to those major traffic routes. Hence the need to increase awareness," he said.
SCCDSB Superintendent of Education Lisa Demers said some risk factors that make individuals more vulnerable include children and youth in Children's Aid Society care, homeless and marginalized youth, those with low self-esteem, and those with a history of abuse.
"Some of the signs to look out for may be withdrawing from family and friends, being secretive about their activities, perhaps they frequently go missing … there's definitely some indicators for parents and staff to watch out for," she said.
Ontario has been identified as a hub for human trafficking and incidents are most often reported in urban centres.
"But traffickers are also known to target individuals from and trafficking in northern or remote communities," said Demers. "Typically Indigenous women and girls comprise a disproportionate number of trafficked persons for the purposes of exploitation in Canada, that information has come to us directly from the Ministry of Education and Children Communities and Social Services."
Demers said it's a sensitive topic that can bring up different responses from different people, which is why the school board does have support in place for teachers.
"Even in school and working on this with the teachers, this will be done in consultation with our social workers, et cetera," she said.
In January of 2022, a new sexual abuse prevention program will also launch for Ontario Certified Teachers. The Ontario College of Teachers announced the mandatory online program in September.