The school board wants aboriginal students and their families to feel safe and comfortable when they transition from middle school to high school.

Board Chair Kathleen Karpuk says there is a history and it wants to make things easier.

“This is another one of our programs and efforts that we’re taking to make sure that our aboriginal students have the same chances of graduating as any other student in our district. So, trying to ease some of those inequities and to give them a level playing field.”

Karpuk says it’s about more and different services available.

“What we’re talking about is more wrap-around supports. So having older students mentor incoming students. Having some of our aboriginal education workers there making sure that those kids are very comfortable making the transition from one school to the next. ”

Karpuk says there’s a deep rooted past of distrust.

“There’s a history, a long history, of abuse within the school system through residential schools. It’s generational and it’s something we have to work on breaking down and making students very comfortable that they are safe.”

This is one of the many projects that are being developed as part of the School Board’s Equity and Diversity Report.