The FPSS-CSQ Demands the Right to Play on Snow Mounds, Without an Avalanche of Unrealistic Rules

Éric Pronovost, President of the Fédération du personnel de soutien scolaire (FPSS-CSQ), is strongly denouncing the new rules governing snow mounds in schoolyards, which he describes as excessive, disconnected from the realities on the ground, and fraught with consequences for school support staff and daycare services.

“We’re talking about snow mounds, not construction sites. Turning a simple winter game enjoyed by children into a bureaucratic exercise is absurd: measuring tapes, registers, plans, increased supervision… all of this once again falls on school support staff,” says Pronovost. “Recess should remain a time of fun and freedom.” He reminds us that the former Minister of Education called for bringing back the “king of the hill” game to schools.

According to recommendations relayed by some school service centres, snow mounds should meet very precise standards of height and slope, be subject to daily inspections, be associated with a verification log, a monitoring plan and an age-based usage schedule, not to mention the obligation to wear a helmet if the criteria are not met.

“In reality, the responsibility for supervising all of this will fall on school educators, student supervisors, and personnel who are already overworked and understaffed. We’re adding responsibilities, risks, and pressure, without any additional resources, to manage… a snow mound,” laments the president of the FPSS-CSQ.

The Federation is also concerned about the direct impact on school daycares, where managing helmet use, rotating groups, and increased supervision risk significantly reducing playtime and unnecessarily complicating daily operations.

“Making dozens of children wear helmets during recess or in daycare is unrealistic. We’ll spend more time managing equipment than letting children play. At this rate, some schools will simply abandon snow mounds, and it’s the children who will pay the price,” adds Pronovost.

The FPSS-CSQ reminds everyone that free play is recognized for its benefits to children’s physical and psychological health. “Children have the right to have fun on the snowbank, to move around, to fall sometimes, and to learn their limits. Safety is very important to us, and we are capable of judging what is dangerous and what is not. This must not be used as a pretext to completely sanitize and impose regulations on school activities,” he states.

The Federation is therefore asking school service centres, school boards, and other relevant bodies to demonstrate sound judgment, proportionality, and trust in the staff on the ground. “School support staff are not there to fill out forms and measure snow slopes. They are there to support students. Let children play and stop taking away, shovelful by shovelful, the joy of winter from them,” concludes Éric Pronovost.