Enhanced protections implemented to avoid repeat of incidents
Two school board divisions in Saskatchewan have terminated two workers after their alleged involvement in crimes that led to the divisions losing more than $22,000.
The Board of Education of Regina Roman Catholic Separate School Division No. 81 fired an employee with suspected involvement in a theft of 12 laptops in the division, costing the division about $9,600.
The theft happened on June 16 and Nov. 28, 2023, according to the provincial government.
Local police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are investigating the incident. The school division is also enhancing physical security protocols for IT asset inventory.
According to data from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), 75% of employees admit to stealing at least once from their employer, with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners adding that businesses lose an estimated five percent of their annual revenue to fraud - which includes employee theft, according to a previous HRD report.
Meanwhile, the Board of Education for Living Sky School Division No. 202 terminated the employment of one school employee alleged to have misappropriated funds.
The misappropriation of funds occurred between September and December 2022. The crime cost the school board division $15,152 for the second quarter of the 2023-24 school division fiscal year.
The school division reported the matter to the RCMP.
Following the incident, the school division has increased the frequency of internal audits. It is also implementing new online software for accepting fees and payments in order to reduce the volume of cash handled in the schools.
The Ministry of Education has tabled its report to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, according to the provincial government.
