As an expected 500,000 descend on Washington, D.C. on March 24 to rally against mass shootings at U.S. schools, protesters will also take to the streets of Victoria.
Organizers of SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C. are hoping to draw global attention to school shootings like the one that occurred on ValentineB次元官网网址檚 Day at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. where 17 people died.
So-called B次元官网网址榮iblingB次元官网网址� marches are taking place in solidarity around the world, including Victoria, where a rally will take place outside the B.C. Legislative Assembly at 1 p.m.
Political differences along with very different gun laws separate Washington, D.C. from Victoria, B.C., yet the very fact that an American issue has generated a local response speaks to the emotional strength of this crisis even in corners of the world far removed from the actual scenes of those heinous crimes.
B次元官网网址淚n reality, when we look at our record within the province of British Columbia, and within Canada, we donB次元官网网址檛 see events like that within our country,B次元官网网址� said Harold Caldwell, School District 61 director of learning. B次元官网网址淪o that is out of context, when a conversation is in relation to thatB次元官网网址e take safety within our schools, very, very, very seriously.B次元官网网址�
Caldwell is aware of what is happening in the United States, but urges perspective.
B次元官网网址淚t makes me very sad, and it makes me sad because kids are going to school and dying down there, and it doesnB次元官网网址檛 have to be that way. Then I look to us and look to our community, and know how safe our communities are.B次元官网网址�
The most recent serious case of violence at a B.C. school dates back to Nov. 1, 2016, when two female students at Abbotsford Senior received stab wounds. Thirteen-year-old Letisha Reimer later died from her injuries and Gabriel Brandon Klein, a 21-year-old homeless person at the time, is facing charges of second-degree murder.
But for all of the attention that such cases receive, they are incredibly rare. That is what makes them newsworthy, but not representative of what is actually happening in schools.
B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 see the violence that you hear of B次元官网网址� be it through media or through rumour, through social media B次元官网网址� we just donB次元官网网址檛 see it in our district,B次元官网网址� said Caldwell.
The PrincipalsB次元官网网址� Review Committee handles incidents that the district deems to be B次元官网网址渆xtreme and/or severe,B次元官网网址� including incidents that involve assaults and weapons. So far, the committee has reviewed a total of five cases this year, and none involved violence.
B次元官网网址淚t is rare to get a kid come to the district level for a violent incident,B次元官网网址� said Caldwell. B次元官网网址淭hat is not to say that kids donB次元官网网址檛 have their issues with each other in school. But it is not like we are seeing fights every day. ItB次元官网网址檚 not like kids are bringing weapons to school, because if they do, they come to me.B次元官网网址�
Students do have disagreements, but many take place online. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 seeing more and more of that coming over social media, as opposed to face-to-face,B次元官网网址� he said.
Caldwell would like to see more opportunities in the community to support the work that goes on in the school.
B次元官网网址淲e need those community centres to be open. We need those playgrounds to be available to kids. We need parks. We need families to be involved in their local community.B次元官网网址�
He said school district officials inform parents about safety issues throughout the school year. The school safety plan informs parents about the rationale for various emergency drills and procedures. It also tells parents how they can inform themselves when such procedures take effect, be it a hold-and-secure (activated to secure the school during an ongoing situation outside the school) or a lock-down (triggered in case of major incident or threat of social violence within the school, or in relation to the school).
A report of a man with a possible weapon outside Bayside middle school in Central Saanich March 1 prompted what local officials called the largest emergency response in the history of the district. It included the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team with local RCMP assisting. Police did not locate any suspects following a search of the grounds.
SD 61, meanwhile, issued a hold-and-secure for Spectrum Community School, and nearby Marigold elementary school on March 8 to deal with a mental health issue, later safely resolved.
Such incidents can create anxiety, because some time may pass until officials can share information with affected parents.
B次元官网网址淎s a parent, you are worried about your children,B次元官网网址� said Caldwell. B次元官网网址淵ou hear lock-down and your child is in that school, you are worried, and I get that. But letB次元官网网址檚 be patient, and know that we train for this process to unfold the way it should so that we can keep kids safe. We will provide you with that information as we have that time through this process to do it.B次元官网网址�
This said, Caldwell is currently part of a working group involving local police forces looking into ways to improve communication procedures.
Overall, Caldwell said SD 61 schools are very safe. Some people, he said, may disagree. B次元官网网址淏ut that is their perception and that is fair,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淥verall, IB次元官网网址檓 going to say that our schools are loving and caring environments. They are that way because of who we are as a society, and they are that way because of who we are as educators within those buildings.B次元官网网址�
That, however, does not mean that officials will close their eyes to potential threats.
