With dozens of wildfires burning in the area as some 14,000 students are set to return to school, the Kamloops-Thompson board of education has pulled its wildfire plan off the shelf and is updating its policies.

Supt. Terry Sullivan said the district will have an updated plan ready for the start of the 2009-2010 school year to be prepared for any school evacuations, closures and emergency preparedness plans regarding files and records.

• Westwold worries

Concerned about the future of their community’s school, parents and residents of Westwold pleaded their case to the board of education on Monday night.

Tracey Benedict led the delegation, which told the board the school is 121 years old and is an integral part of the community.

“This school represents community, family, support, togetherness, commonality and identity for our residents,” Benedict said.

“We believe that, without our school, this community may become more fragmented and all those 121 years of building a connected community through the school will be for nothing.”

Other negative impacts cited include less care for students with special needs, diminished learning environments and lengthy daily bus rides.

On Monday, the school district has its first of some two dozen consultation meetings regarding the future of the district, which has plans to close up to 13 schools in an effort to save money.

• SD73 stays connected

In an effort to stay connected with its staff and students, the district is looking at a new communications plan — which will include savvy use of social media.

The district is looking at which modes are best suited for which audiences before implementing communication tools, such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs and a daily updated website.