School division to conduct review after students find dead body during community cleanup

School leaders say a review is underway after students from a Winnipeg school discovered a dead body earlier this week while taking part in a clean-up event. Morgan Modjeski reports.

By Morgan Modjeski

School leadership say they’ll be conducting a review after a group of students discovered a dead body in an empty field while participating in a community clean-up event in Winnipeg on Friday.

“We have a workplace health and safety officer and she will do a thorough analysis of what happened here,” said Superintendent Ted Fransen with the Pembina Trails School Division. “There’s no one to blame of course, because no one planned this activity with the view that there might be a dead body in that field.

“In terms of being proactive in the future, we always review these kinds of critical incidents.”

Expressing his condolences to the family of the person who was discovered, Fransen says it was a small group of students from École South Pointe School who found the body.

Parents at the school were informed of the matter Friday, and Fransen says support from within the system is being offered to the students, and more will be in place Monday, noting those who know the students best are at the heart of the efforts.

“The supports are in place and there is nobody more important to the students that did come across this body than their classroom teacher, first and foremost, because they have a relationship with that teacher,” said Fransen. “And (that) teacher immediately is going to wrap around these kids care and concern.”

The education leaders say officials with the school alerted police who are now handling the investigation.

On Friday, police vehicles were working near a fenced off area near Kenaston Boulevard and Waverley Street, with officers focusing on the covered body, but on Saturday afternoon police had not issued a news release.

Fransen says the response from both staff and police has been excellent and he’s confident the students and school community will get through this, saying their thoughts and focus are with those dealing with the loss.

“The biggest tragedy is the loss of human life. Our kids are resilient, our staff are resilient, their families are resilient, I know we will.”

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