Central Okanagan Public Schools has acknowledged its awareness of a violent incident captured on video that occurred over the winter break involving youth from multiple communities.
The incident is now under police investigation.
鈥淎s a district that puts safety first, we share the dismay at seeing violence in the community, especially when it involves young people,鈥� said Kevin Kaardal, Central Okanagan Public Schools superintendent/ CEO.
鈥淎lthough this incident occurred off school property over the (Christmas) break, our staff work with students to ensure they have support and can feel safe at school.鈥�
As with any traumatic incident involving a student, even those that occur outside school, the victim鈥檚 school provides full support to them, including school-based counselling.
As the incident is an RCMP matter involving youth, Central Okanagan Public Schools declined from commenting on any further details at this time.
A video of the incident was obtained by local media outlet Castanet, reporting it shows a group of approximately five teenagers kicking and punching the victim - believed to be around 11 years old 鈥� in the face, side and back.
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Classes were delayed from reconvening at George Elliott Secondary in Lake Country last Monday, Jan. 8, after the Christmas holiday break due to a flood inside the school.
Further flooring restoration efforts will be carried out during spring break, but students returning to school was delayed to ensure necessary flood mitigation efforts were completed and the school was safe for students and staff.
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School district staff reached out to support families, students and staff over the Christmas holidays concerning the deaths of two students, one in high school and the other in Grade 1. The deaths were not related.
The principals of the schools where the students attended reached out to the affected families, and the school district post-critical incident response team in turn offered support services where needed.
School superintendent/CEO Kevin Kaardal said schools don鈥檛 operate in a vacuum, in that when tragic events occur the impact reaches beyond the families involved to also include students, staff and family friends.
鈥淥ur team responds to support families in a caring way when appropriate even if we are on a break,鈥� said Kaardal, speaking to the matter at the Central Okanagan Board of Education meeting Wednesday (Jan. 10).
He said school counsellors, administrative staff and response team members all undergo specialized training to deal with the aftereffects of traumatic events that directly impact local schools.
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Flooding has become a problem at Anne McClymont Elementary due to a mechanical failure of the main water supply line to the school on Jan.12.
While 琉璃神社 firefighters and city staff were able to respond promptly to minimize the damage under extreme weather conditions, it caused extensive damage.
Grades 2-5 were off school Monday and will be transitioned to an adjusted program, which began on Tuesday, due to the water being shut off and the scope of the repair construction work needed.
K-1 students returned to class as needed repairs did not affect their part of the school.
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Erin Work, a Grade 12 student at 脡cole Okanagan Mission Secondary, gave a report to the school trustees on her participation in the United Nations Climate Summit COP 28, specifically a student leadership summit as part of the event, held at Dubai from Dec. 3-11.
The school district鈥檚 partnership with The College Board of Canada and the Centre for Global Education made it possible for one student from the AP land-based inquiry course offered at 脡cole George Elliot Secondary and OKM, which Work applied for and was accepted.
Work was joined on the trip by teacher Kristi Langlois.
Work spoke to trustees about her passion for climate change education, sustainability and social justice, and her future plans to raise awareness of climate change and sustainability in Central Okanagan public schools.
She said meeting like-minded students from around the world sharing their concerns about the future of the planet was inspiring and reassuring that many others share her concerns and feel the need to influence change, regardless of cultural and geographic distances.
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Craig Arsenault, a Mount Boucherie Secondary teacher, created a curriculum for a Science for Citizens course that allows for students to learn real-world science in relatable, practical ways, working in collaboration with the Indigenous education department.
Hunters from Cherryville to Penticton also donated animal hides to the program for students to learn about tanning hides, which led his course to be featured in a recent article in the BC Wildlife Federation Magazine and on CBC Radio.
Arsenault told trustees the course is not intended for students taking science for academic purposes, but rather reaching out to those students who want to learn more about different aspects of science in a more practical, hands-on classroom environment.
The science course was offered to Grade 11 students in the first term of the 2023-24 school year to a positive response, encouraging Arsenault to continue further with developing the program further.
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The school district reminds parents the enrolment application for the 2024-25 school year begins at 7 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 29, through to Friday, March 15.
Further information on the process is available at www.sd23.ca.
