Joint Statement on Fights at Cowichan Secondary School

 

December 5, 2017
For Immediate Release

Joint Statement on Fights at Cowichan Secondary

COWICHAN VALLEY, BC – Chief William “Chip” Seymour of Cowichan Tribes and Rod Allen, Superintendent of the Cowichan Valley School District have released the following statement regarding a series of fights that took place yesterday at Cowichan Secondary School in Duncan:

“Both Cowichan Tribes and the school district are aware of the incident involving several students that took place yesterday afternoon at the James Street campus of Cowichan Secondary School.

Together, we want to reinforce that we do not condone any kind of fighting, bullying, or harassment of others—this applies on and off school property.

Cowichan Tribes and the school district are working together to understand the facts of what took place, and to support the students, staff, and families that were affected by this incident.

There is an RCMP presence at the school today to ensure the safety and security of students and staff, and to provide some calmness to the situation. Rest assured we are all taking this seriously. The school is currently reviewing video and other evidence to determine the facts of what took place, with the support of the RCMP.

Cowichan Tribes Chief and Council and the school district will be setting up a meeting as soon as possible to review this incident and find ways to further prevent this from happening again. Cowichan Tribes and the school district are committed to working collaboratively to ensure our schools are safe, caring, and supportive for all students.

There are a lot of rumours online and in the community about the nature of these incidents, and we encourage our communities to stay focused on facts. It is important to keep in mind that rumours on social media both during and after events of this nature do little to assist anyone in their efforts to determine what took place. They can simply hinder any investigation and escalate the anxiety of those involved.”

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To view a PDF version of the statement, please click here.

Media Contacts:

Katie McLaughlin
Communications Specialist
Phone: 250-748-0321 ext. 308
Email: kmclaughlin@sd79.bc.ca