Another parent at Prince of Wales Collegiate is praising staff and administration at the school for their quick response in containing yesterday’s incident and keeping students safe and calm.
The mother, who asked not to be identified, told VOCM News that Prince of Wales Collegiate does a marvelous job in accepting vulnerable populations and keeping students safe and engaged.
She says staff were quick to respond to yesterday’s shocking incident, helping to contain the scene and keeping the student population safe.
The woman says while shocking that criminal activity came to the school, she’s applauding the response of school staff and first responders to the targeted attack.
Anna White, a grade 12 student, says PWC is a very good school and she had no qualms about going to class this morning. “I’m not nervous because nobody goes to another school to cause harm to somebody so they were probably targeting that person.”
A boy going to school this morning describes the victim as a good person. They are as close as brothers. He was hit pretty hard, he says. The 16-year-old suffered head injuries and will probably be in hospital for a while, he says.
(Psychologist Dr. Janine Hubbard)
Meanwhile, a local psychologist is cautioning that the spread of information or misinformation following a serious or traumatic incident like the one at PWC yesterday can have damaging effects.
Dr. Janine Hubbard says it’s important to let the police and school officials do their work and conduct their investigation.
She admits, she knows nothing of the incident in question, but says it’s common after a dramatic event for people to fill in the gaps with hearsay. She says the spread of rumours can escalate the distress felt by the community at large.
She says the resumption of normal routines is important as students process what happened. She encourages parents to give their kids “space to talk” and don’t force it if they’re not ready to discuss how they feel.
Hubbard says the school will have lots of qualified staff and supports available and if your child is showing signs of distress, make sure they have access to a qualified professional to help process those feelings.
