They should be learning about reading, writing and arithmetic.
Instead, they're getting lessons in guns, gangs and sex assaults.
Welcome to the world of Toronto schools, a place where teachers are afraid to report serious crimes, government inaction does nothing to stop them and the students don't fear any reprisals - except from other teens.
Those are just some of the staggering conclusions in the 1,000-page
School Community Safety Advisory Panel report on what ails the city's education system.
The document, which has been in the works for almost eight months and cost $800,000, was triggered by the murder of 15-year-old
Jordan Manners at CW Jefferys last May. But those who studied the schools in the city assure what happened at that campus wasn't an isolated incident.
It reveals a terrible cycle of violence and fear in the halls and an over reliance on punishments that simply don't work. "Jordan Manners died on May 23rd, 2007, out of flat neglect; pure neglect," chides chair and human rights lawyer Julian Falconer. "There was insufficient supports in place in our system to encourage him to make better choices."
His findings outline more than 170 incidents of sexual assault, kids with guns, knives, robberies and fear among students. And it doesn't mince words on who the members believe is to blame. Among the highlights is a frightening revelation from 870 of the 1,200 students who attend Westview Centennial Secondary School.
- 23 per cent report they know someone who brought a gun to school in the last two years
- 22 per cent had seen a gun in their school in the past two years and
- 6.1 per cent know four or more people who brought guns to school in the last two years.
And blades were as prevalent as bullets. "You could fill a Home Hardware with the amount of knives kids bring to school," Falconer emotes. "But we don't find them. Guns are no different. We have no detection measure."
Sexual assaults were also in the spotlight and the numbers from Westview alone were equally stunning:
Seven per cent of female students admitted they were victims of a major attack over the past two years - and the results were similar in other schools. The allegation that a young girl was sexually assaulted in a Jefferys washroom and officials didn't report it led to charges being filed against the former principal and two vice principals at the school.
But equally disturbing is the revelation that 80-90 per cent say wouldn't report their own victimization or that of anyone else to police. "The current system of reporting sexual assaults does not work," the chairman avers. "It is a failure. We have failed the young women and girls in our school system. We are not protecting them. We have to rethink how we behave."
He suggests a new system be put into place to ensure girls can come forward and those in charge take immediate steps to keep the rest of the student body away from the alleged perpetrators.
The panel is also openly critical of the punishment methods used by the Toronto District School Board and the government to try and stem the violence - especially in the area of discipline.
"The Safe Schools Act utterly failed," Falconer condemns. "How do we know? Look at the numbers we present in these reports. It doesn't work. It doesn't work. You can't discipline marginalized youth into engagement ... We suspend in droves; it fails."
And he criticizes the Board for fostering a political atmosphere that involves 'toeing the line,' leaving teachers and staff living in fear of retribution of trustees who are 'unbounded by any rules of conduct.'
"Teachers, principals, superintendents declined to speak to us for attribution," Falconer condemns. "When we started to examine the issue, and ask questions off the record, the confirmation of the culture we were encountering was more often than not the case."
He wants to see reporting obligations instituted as well as whistle blower protections to force all board employees to report problems - including teachers.
He also suggests the time is over for treating everyone the same way. Falconer calls the plan '"controversial" but a necessity and says if changes aren't made, things will likely get worse.
So what can be done?
The panel wants to see special gun sniffing dogs brought in to find hidden weapons in troubled schools, stressing the animals and their handlers won't be targeting anyone but simply sweeping the entire campus as a whole.
It suggests a website be set up where kids can easily but anonymously report violence.
It advocates a new law be drafted making it mandatory for all staff to report any act of violence against a student.
It wants more social workers made available to work with at-risk youth.
And it advises the provincial government to put out more money to fund the necessary programs that could stop kids from seeing violence or crime as their only avenue.
Education Minister Kathleen Wynne claims she's willing to listen. "In terms of funding, we will continue to put money into the school system," she vows. "We know that there's work that has not yet been done. We know that there are more resources that are needed, and I think that this report is part of the picture."
But many of those most affected have simply accepted it all as a normal way of life. "I'm not, like, scared or anything because I grew up in this area," one student admits. "Like where the violence and stuff is, what's happening in this area. But what can we do?"
While many
CityNews viewers have suggested metal detectors as the answer, Falconer insists they won't work. He calls them too expensive, a quick fix that doesn't repair the problem and an impediment that would delay students from getting inside.
The chairman was quick to point out while the Jane-Finch area gets most of the attention, the problem is citywide. Some 54 different gun incidents were reported outside the district that houses that neighbourhood.
"Nothing could be further than the truth that this is a problem involving the black kids at Jane and Finch. That is simply an utter specious myth. This is a problem we as a society share. Why do we share it and how? We share it because youth who need to be re-engaged, who are entitled to learning environments don't get the supports they need. They become idle. They lack the supports at home, and they come to school by operation of law."
Jordan Manners was the first student ever murdered inside a Toronto school. But the panel warns if something isn't done soon, he may not be the last.
Guns in school a real worry
School sex assaults troubling
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Read the 'failed' Safe School Act here