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Dozens of students have been suspended from a high school in Saint-Jerôme, Que., following a day of unrest and acts of vandalism last Friday.
According to Radio-Canada, at the start of this week, the Centre de services scolaire de la Rivière-du-Nord (CSSRDN) suspended 78 students from École polyvalente Saint-Jérôme for the rest of the week.
More disciplinary action could follow for the students involved, said René Brisson, the director of the CSSRDN.
“We will evaluate their return [to class] based on the severity of their actions, the extent of the students’ involvement, and also the co-operation of parents regarding their children’s actions,” said Brisson.
Brisson stated that on a lunch break, students in seventh and eighth grade began creating chaos, by running, throwing garbage cans and gathering in crowds. By the end of the day, the fire alarm had been pulled.
WATCH | Why dozens of students were suspended from this high school:
Quebec high school suspends 78 students after unrest, vandalism
Dozens of students have been suspended from a high school in Saint-Jérôme, Que., after a day of unrest and acts of vandalism last Friday. The school also cancelled classes on Monday to investigate the students’ actions.
In a letter addressed to parents of the high school’s 3,400 students on Friday, principal Nathalie Flamand condemned incidents of “disorderly conduct,” “acts of vandalism,” and “disruptive behaviour.”
Special security measures put in place
The school suspended classes on Monday to take time to investigate students’ actions, which school leadership said allowed them to identify all students who participated, directly or indirectly.
Special security measures were put in place Tuesday at the school, in addition to a heavy police presence around the school and security officers inside the building.
“Staff schedules will be adjusted to ensure maximum adult supervision during breaks, transitions and lunch,” explained Flamand in a message to parents.
Nancy Chartrand, a mother Radio-Canada spoke with near the school, said she came to pick up her children because they were uncomfortable with the police presence on Tuesday.
Rumours of a planned repeat incident also prompted her to err on the side of caution, she said.
“It’s worrisome as a parent,” she said.
Link to French school protests?
Brisson said that while calls for blockades circulated on students’ social media — reminiscent of the high school protests in France — it is “difficult” to establish a link between the two events.
“It would be speculation,” he said.
“I think it was more spontaneous. The intention, I think, was really to disturb classes. That much is clear. But trying to pinpoint a specific cause is difficult because there’s no spokesperson, and there aren’t necessarily any demands.”