7 students suspended for homophobic bullying at East Wiltshire, report says

An independent report released Thursday said seven students were suspended after homophobic bullying at East Wiltshire School.

The report laid out in detail what happened over a series of days in early June at the school. According to some parents, their children were bullied by students wearing black T-shirts during a Pride Day event.

After it became aware of the harassment of LGBTQ students, the Public Schools Branch hired a diversity and inclusion consultant to conduct an investigation and write a report about the events.

"Bullying, transphobia, homophobia, discrimination, racism exists in society. The benefit we have as educators [is] we have the ability to educate and to inform," said Norbert Carpenter, director of the Public Schools Branch.

"This was a situation that wasn't positive. However, it is an opportunity for us to learn."

The 22-page report found that staff acted professionally and supported students, and that most students and staff feel the overall school culture does not condone bullying. But the report also makes it clear that minority students are still being targeted.

'Strides to move forward'

The report said teachers saw only a handful of students were wearing black and bullying others. But all the teachers interviewed said they felt ill-equipped to handle the situation.

One teacher referenced in the report said a student informed them that his father told him to wear black to school.

Another teacher added, "When asked why a student was wearing black the student told me their parents got an email from someone stating that black shirts were going to be worn to protest Pride Day."

Just a few days after news of the bullying at East Wiltshire, there was a rally outside the school to support LGBTQ students. More than 100 people took part.

Charlottetown resident Grace Kimpinski organized that rally, and she welcomed the report.

"I do think that the publicity that this event has stirred up has drawn some issues to the forefront that obviously need to be addressed," she said.

"I'm hoping that public pressure will encourage the school board to make strides to move forward."

'We need to do better'

In the report, most students said teachers did check on them after they raised concerns about what was happening in the school.

One of the suspended students told the consultant he was not homophobic and did not intend to hurt anyone. He said he felt he was being funny but did admit to making comments that could be seen as offensive to others. That student also identified as a member of the LGBTQ community.

The parent who originally brought the issue to light, Laine Brehaut, said the report didn't go far enough. Brehaut did not agree to an interview with CBC News, but she wrote a post on social media saying the report does not clearly state that there is a problem with "the overall culture" at East Wiltshire.

"What I, and many other parents are saying, is that our concerns are being systemically minimized and are being left unaddressed," the post read.

"The safety of vulnerable kids isn't a joke, and it isn't something that should be kept quiet."

Carpenter said he thinks the report does acknowledge that there is a problem with discrimination in schools and that "we need to do better."

Report recommendations

The report recommends staff get more coaching to deal with this kind of conflict. It calls for creating closer links between the school and community groups like Pride P.E.I. and the Black Cultural Society. One of the final suggestions is to have a roundtable discussion made up of students, staff and parents to talk about inequity in schools.

In an email statement, East Wiltshire principal Jaime Cole said she's pleased the report acknowledged "the caring and supportive nature of the East Wiltshire staff." She also said more supports are needed for the school's diverse populations.

Carpenter said the Public Schools Branch apologizes to the students at East Wiltshire who were victims to homophobic and transphobic bullying.

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