Following up on the outrage that one such principle sent families of local students picketing outside school facilities, this has caused reflection on many of us residents on what’s truly best for our kids.
Only a handful of weeks ago a young 12 year old girl was sexually assaulted by the Gilliam School Principal, being demanded to remove her clothing starting with her pants. The parents weren’t even informed on this alarming incident until news of this began to leak from other students.
This incident was investigated and proven true, but the Principal was still honoured a job at the school. This caused quite a stir as picketers formed around the school demanding the termination of the Principal.
“The parents should have been called. The parents should always be called if there is a problem” Says Jessiena Lavalle who passionately shared that teachers and Principal’s feel like they have a right over the children under their care in which such acts will not be tolerated.
Lavalle explained that part of her passion on the matter comes from past bad memories that this incident has triggered. “I dealt with physical abuse, mental, psychological and even sexual abuse as a kid from teachers. Where you get older and think the system is safer but find then its gotten far worse”
Apparently this is not the first school this Vice Principal has caused an outrage. Carrying a long string of blacklisted High School history and being chased out of most the Northern communities, one such community even went as far as burning the house down of this Vice Principal. But even with this dark abusive history, the rehire of this individual seems to be continually trusted with the care of students during the transfer of every school, this making parents also question how carefully a background check of any teacher is observed.
The protest eventually subsided when the Gilliam School finally placed the Principal on administrative leave. Lavalle shares her deep concern on the matter that with such a proven offence the Principal is only being protected, “She should be terminated” While instead she is given a temporary paid leave.
This injustice has made parents further question the safety of all schools rather then Gilliam alone, calling them “a modern residential school” causing harm and danger to all children behind the backs of parents, feeling as though they have all the corrupt control without any consequences.
Contact to the school for comments on the matter was reached out to get a balanced perspective but stern denial was given leaving no word of report or defense.
~Matthias J. Johnson is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Thompson Citizen. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
