Two local mothers whose sons have been harassed, bullied and beaten in Squamish schools made their plea to have teenage criminals treated like criminals.
During the Sea to Sky School District board meeting Wednesday (Nov. 10), Bianca Peters and Zoe Aldridge requested district amend its code of conduct so that "knowledge of any threatening or physical and sexual assault involving students 12 years and older, on or off school property, shall be immediately turned over to the police for investigation under the criminal code."
"You can't have your own laws in school, so I would suggest if a child does a criminal act the police should be involved," said Peters.
The appeal comes on the heels of a Don Ross Secondary student-led petition with over 200 signatures requesting school administration take a more aggressive stance against school bullying, which was acknowledged by school board chair Rick Price during the meeting.
Board members listened attentively as each mother explicitly recounted a number of "tragic" situations that have taken place over the past three years.
"My son was told to kill himself daily for three months in class, he has been punched and beat up on school district property and on school trips, he has been repeatedly ridiculed and socially isolated, he has been called fat, ugly and gay," said Peters.
"He has found spit on his locker's lock on more than one occasion, he has been punched from behind in the hallways, punched in the face during class and verbally assaulted throughout his schools.
"This September, he was beat up during PE in the Don Ross Secondary boy's change room with his pants around his ankles in front of his classmates."
Noticing some board trustees' shocked faces, Peters expressed surprise they didn't already know the details.
"Did you know that? Because it has all been reported to the schools."
When it came to her turn, Aldridge had trouble speaking as she voiced a lack of trust in the school's current system for dealing with bullies.
"I am hoping some sort of change can be done because he's also had hand sanitizer on his head, in his hair and they threatened to burn him," she said.
"These are the things he comes home and tells me when he goes to sleep at night crying. So I'm hoping something can be changed."
Aldridge recounted what happened to her son last September - a story that reached beyond Squamish as it hit the Lower Mainland media.
"He has been in a video of fighting that he didn't want to fight, which I went a week prior to try and stop it and still he was in that fight," she said.
"It wasn't stopped, it still happened and the image of that video is in my head everyday and he could have died and I take it very seriously today. I am hoping some sort of change can be done."
Local mother Annette Hernandez also asked to be allowed to speak.
"I can guarantee that making these suggested changes will be effective and this is the answer to what you're looking for," she said.
"Why go to the police? Because every child who's turned over to the police when they're found breaking this law is going to send a message to every other bully and their families that it is no longer tolerated."
The sympathy in the room was palpable and trustee Andrea Beaubien was the first board member to speak after Price made it clear the board was not allowed to debate the issue, only ask questions of clarification.
She asked Peters and Aldridge to clarify what difference it has made to involve police.
Peters said the outcome has changed her son's life - the offending bully is facing charges and has been sent to Howe Sound Secondary as a result of a no contact order.
"Now that I've been to the police the problem is essentially being dealt with," she said.
"He's habitual. He has now been arrested. There is a no contact order in place. He has been moved from that school to the only other school in this community."
Peters said three years of reports to school officials went nowhere and the answer was as simple as making the bully change schools.
"Now we find that [the victims] actually have a life at school, they're having fun. Before that they weren't able to do that."
Price said the board will discuss the recommendation at a future meeting and will send a response letter to Peters and Aldridge.
"We do empathize with your situation - the circumstances you described are horrible and regrettable," he said. "Anything like that that happens to anybody is unacceptable and tragic and it shouldn't happen."
