Parents unhappy over USS stabbing
Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Durham Regional Police have laid a series of charges against a 16-year-old male following a stabbing at Uxbridge Secondary School.
Officers from North Division were called to the school Feb. 3, where they found a male suffering from a stab wound. He was taken to the Uxbridge Hospital, where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries and released. At the same time, the suspect was taken into custody at the school and was held pending a bail hearing.
The youth, who cannot be named according to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is charged with assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, failure to comply with an undertaking, two counts of failing to comply with a release order and carrying a concealed weapon.
Police are asking anyone with video footage or information about the incident to contact A/Det.-Sgt Michael Naccarato from the North Division Criminal Investigations Branch at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 2686.
Following the incident, parents of USS students took to local social media sites to express their concern. One parent, who asked not to be named because her children attend USS, sent emails to the Durham District School Board, trustee Carolyn Morton, USS principal Melissa Lee, Mayor Dave Barton, Durham police and MP Jennifer O'Connell. She detailed a series of actions that she suggested be taken, including "conducting a thorough review" of security at the school, increased security personnel and improved supervision. She also asked that the school provide transparency and reassurance to parents by offering insight into what steps have been taken by both the school board and the school to prevent this individual from returning and “disrupting the vast majority of students who are there to learn and succeed.”
Noting, as other parents did, that the suspect has a history of violence, the parent said "when an individual repeatedly breaks the rules and commits crimes in a close-knit school environment, they should lose the privilege of learning in a group setting.
“I want to emphasize however that my primary concern is the reassurance that this individual will not be returning to the school,” she added.
In a letter to parents, school principal Lee said when Durham police arrived on scene, they determined there were no safety concerns for students or staff.
Morton responded to the parent’s email by saying: "I have made sure that all trustees and senior staff are aware of your concerns. You have provided much food for thought."