On January 15, 2026, the Manitoba government introduced a new regulation under the Education Administration Act designed to improve student safety and keep families better informed across the province, including in Morden.
The regulation strengthens public notification and transparency and updates how the Registry of Certified Teachers and School Clinicians displays the professional status of teachers and clinicians. Under the change, during an investigation, teachers and clinicians who have agreed to stop teaching or practising will have a status of “voluntarily surrendered” displayed on the registry until a final determination is made; that status will be removed once the matter is resolved. The change is intended to make such cases visible to the public and to school boards, reducing the chance that an educator under investigation could move between divisions undetected.
The rules follow a provincial review of school safety prompted by a late-2025 intruder incident at a Winnipeg elementary school (Darwin School), which led the province to order division-wide safety-plan reviews. The regulation applies province-wide, so it will affect how staff in Morden schools — including Morden Collegiate Institute and École Discovery Trails — handle public notification and reporting of serious incidents. The Jan. 15 release strengthens public-notification requirements but does not specify an exact parent-notification timeframe in that announcement; local divisions should be asked how that standardized notification will be implemented and the expected timing for alerts to families.
“Keeping students safe is our top priority,” said Tracy Schmidt, Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister. “Parents and caregivers deserve a transparent system that keeps them informed. This change ensures the public can see when an investigation is underway, reinforcing trust in the safeguards that protect students.” The registry is part of the modernized teacher certification and professional conduct framework first introduced in January 2025.
