When Lorelei, a mother of twins in the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows School District, saw one of her children’s classmates threaten another student by running his finger across his neck, she complained to the school.
The Friday before, that same student had punched the girl he threatened, and knocked over her desk.
When staff told Lorelei, who didn’t want her full name used to protect her children, they were too busy to go check on the class to make sure it was safe, she pulled her twins out of school, telling staff she didn’t feel comfortable.
This isn’t the first time there have been incidents in the class with this student, said Lorelei.
Her twins tell her the child becomes angry and violent all the time.
In another incident, Lorelei said, the boy became upset, and violent, when he was told by a classmate to go to the back of a line.
Lorelei said the child kicked a girl twice, scratching them across the stomach, then they kicked dust in another student’s eyes, before turning to her daughter, twisting her wrist and spraining it. The child also slapped her arm, punched her in the chest, and kicked her.
When another boy tried to protect her, the child punched him as well.
When Lorelei asked the vice principal what was going to happen to the child who acted out, she was told they couldn’t give her that information.
She was told by the school principal, if she didn’t feel comfortable sending her twins to class, she would have to move schools.
Lorelei is angry the school wouldn’t move the one child to another class, but expected her to move her own children, when they were the victims of his actions.
The boy was eventually moved into another class.
However, she is equally concerned about the boy and whether he is receiving the proper supports at school.
The school district said they do not keep a central log or tally of violent student incidents. Matters are addressed individually, based on the circumstances of each situation, said school district spokesperson Irena Pochop.
Pochop explained there are school codes of conduct and overarching district policies that establish and communicate behavioural expectations to school communities.
“Responses to behaviour will consider the severity, frequency, context, and the age, maturity, and developmental capacity of the student(s) involved. Progressive discipline may apply when necessary to ensure safety and uphold the learning environment.”
Martin Dmitrieff, head of the Maple Ridge Teachers’ Association, said that although he could not speak to individual circumstances, that severe cases of violence in schools are rare.
And, he noted, incidents are being labelled as bullying by the community, when they are not.
He said teachers are seeing greater and greater levels of classroom complexity, and incidents often happen at the primary level, because the younger children don’t have the behavioural skill set to deal with their emotions.
Dmitrieff believes that all students should have a place in schools.
“We know, for sure, that well supported and even diverse learners with high needs get something out of that time in the general classroom,” he said.
However, not all students can be sustained in a general classroom throughout the day. Some students might need breaks, some struggle with busy, loud, and overstimulating classrooms.
He said teachers need to be able to adapt and change programming where needed.
But, there needs to be staffing components to support that, like the appropriate support teacher staffing and education assistant staffing. Schools also need alternative spaces where children can go to catch their breath. And that is not always the case.
“If we resourced our schools better, we would see less of these kind of things happening because students would be better supported,” he said.
The Ministry of Education and Child Care responded by saying the province sets clear expectations for school safety and provides funding, training, tools, and “expert support”, while school districts are responsible for responding to local situations.
“Boards of education and schools have safety prevention, intervention, and response strategies in place and are expected to respond to incidents in a way that supports the well-being of the student or students involved and the school community,” said the ministry.
Over the years, Dmitrieff noted, the school district has become more consistent in terms of how incidents are dealt with.
If the behaviour is with an intent to harm, he said there are expectations, he said.
The school district has a student code of conduct with associated procedures that should be followed.
He said the best resource for parents to advocate on behalf of their child if they are experiencing concerns is the District Parent Advisory Council, who are well-informed and know the different district pathways, procedures, and policies that a parent can access.
“Parents don’t have to navigate this alone. There are folks out there who can help,” he said.
Currently the school has placed restrictions on the boy and he is not supposed to enter the classroom with Lorelei’s twins.
“Which he did, anyway, yesterday,” she said.
And when September rolls around he will no longer have restrictions placed on him.
“This child obviously is not able to be in a regular classroom and needs support that the classroom is not offering,” said Lorelei, noting she is back to looking at relocating her children in another school because they don’t feel safe.