St. Michael’s College School expelled eight students and suspended another in the wake of two incidents, one allegedly involving sexual assault.
The prestigious private school told parents Friday in an email that it had received video of an incident from the boys’ washroom on Monday. That night it received a second video from an incident in the locker room.
On Friday there were allegations of a third incident and the school now says it notified Toronto Police on Wednesday after finishing an internal investigation.
St. Michael’s initially claimed to have told police about the incidents on Monday, a statement police disputed, saying they first heard about it from the media Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Basilion Fathers who operate St. Michael’s College School say they are “saddened” by the recent alleged group sexual assault on a student.
“St. Michael’s College School in Toronto is the first foundation of the Basilian Fathers in North America,” said a statement sent to the Toronto Sun by spokesman Father Thomas Rosica. “We are deeply saddened and troubled by the events that have come to light over the past days.”
At a time when the controversy has been covered nationwide, the school has a heightened police presence to deal with security threats.
“Our primary concern in all of this situation is the protection of students, young people and vulnerable persons,” the statement said.
Police have assigned officers from their child and youth unit to investigate.
“We are working closely with the school officials and police authorities to establish a timeline of the events of this very sad situation,” Rosica’s statement said. “The school will issue statements when all information has been gathered.”
The school held two damage control meetings Friday for parents, who showed much disdain for the media as they left.
“You guys (media) are getting ripped apart in there,” one man said as he left.”
Another woman said, “it’s really hard to heal while you guys won’t stop looking at us.”
Many parents ignored the media presence as they left, but one woman approached shouting.
“Don’t you realize what you are doing to our kids,” the woman screamed, adding with thousands of kids at the school there will always be one bad apple.
Students have been told not to speak to the media, but one Grade 9 student did.
“Everyone has a low morale. There is anger and disgust at what has happened,” the boy said. “If you do a Google review of the school everything is directed at the incidents and that isn’t who we are as a student body.”
NDP MPP Jill Andrew for Toronto St. Paul’s said outside the school that she is shocked and her heart goes out to the victims.
The former teacher and youth worker openly asked, “Why would something like this happen?”
“The message we need to put out to youth and the community is more education around sexual assault and consent,” Andrew said. “We don’t want this to happen again.”
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