Fort Providence (Sep 29/03) - Lunchtime supervision policies may be reviewed after an eight-year-old boy was found hanging from a piece of playground equipment here Sept. 22.

The boy, who police say is expected to make a full recovery, was reported to be doing well at University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton late last week.

He was found hanging by the neck from a piece of playground equipment at about 12:18 p.m. last Monday by a parent looking for her daughter. A piece of rope was found at the scene and has been sent to the RCMP lab for examination.

"Nobody actually saw how it happened," said Const. Amber Powder. "At this point, there's no indication that suicide is an issue. How (the rope) got there and what it was doing there, we're not sure at this time."

The boy was not at Deh Gah school Monday morning and children are not supposed to be on the school playground at lunchtime.

Of the nine elementary and secondary schools in the Deh Cho region, only those in Fort Simpson currently allow the children to stay for a supervised lunch hour. That was brought about because of busing and time constraints for children who live in the subdivision several kilometres away.

The policy may be reviewed, said the Deh Cho's superintendent of education.

"We'll have to assess that as things unfold with this incident ... our main concern is for the safety and well-being of any kid that we serve," said Nolan Swartzentruber. He noted that in his 17 years as superintendent there have been no other life-threatening incidents on school grounds.

The issue was expected to be discussed at a school board meeting in Trout Lake Friday, although the meeting was cancelled due to weather.

School officials called counselors in to help students and staff cope with the incident.