Parents concerned about issues at Corner Brook Intermediate
‘They’re witnessing things that is far beyond what we would expect our children at this age to be witnessing’
Corner Brook Intermediate (CBI) has gotten the reputation of being a hard school.
Rumours have circulated in the community about students enduring severe beatings on and near school property, allegations of students bringing weapons to school, even children being followed home from school and assaulted on their own properties.
Sabrina Ellsworth is a parent and a concerned citizen who says enough is enough. She’s bringing together others who think the same way to advocate for change.
Students, she said, are afraid to walk down the halls and are so afraid to go to the bathroom that they get picked up by their parents to go somewhere else to use the facilities.
PULLED CHILD FROM SCHOOL
Until December 2023, Ellsworth had a child at the junior high, but has since moved them to Immaculate Heart of Mary, Corner Brook’s only private school.
Ellsworth preferred not to go into too many details about her child’s experience, but said it involved constant bullying, name-calling, having food thrown in their face and books knocked out of their hands. She described it as “complete disrespect and torture every single day.”
Every day they were at CBI, Ellsworth received texts from her child about what was happening to them, and their fears.
She said her child spent more time waiting to see one of the school’s two guidance counsellors than they did in the classroom.
NOT ENOUGH RESOURCES
With more than 600 students in Grades 7 to 9, the school doesn’t have the resources to deal with everything that’s happening, Ellsworth says.
“They’re dealing with the bigger-issue children. They’re chasing people around trying to make sure that they’re not going to harm someone today,” she said.
“They’re doing the best they can, it’s just the situation we’re in. The caseload is so large that it’s really hard to be able to provide what every child needs.”
Ellsworth moved her child out of CBI after an incident that involved the police. She’s still dealing with the impact the experiences at the school have had on her child.
‘THESE ARE ALL OF OUR CHILDREN’
It would make sense if she decided to not have anything else to do with the school, she said, but she couldn’t stand by and see it continue happening.
“I’m concerned for every other parent who has a child or will have a child go to that school. It’s the only school that we have for this age group in our community, and we have no choice,” she said.
“I’m fortunate. I’m lucky that I have the ability to move (my child), but a lot of families don’t, and I’m fearful for the children that are sort of slipping through the cracks and not getting the support that they need. It’s concerning. It’s very concerning as a community member. These are all our children.”
ADVOCATING
With the aim of advocating for the issues to be addressed, Ellsworth decided to approach other parents and started the Corner Brook Families Against Violence in Schools Facebook group. There are now over 300 members.
She also recently returned to the CBI school council as a community representative, but said the Facebook group is not an initiative of the council.
To bring parents together, she hosted two public meetings, on March 13 and 20, to discuss the issues at the school.
Since starting the Facebook group and holding the meetings, Ellsworth has heard a lot more stories and concerns about many more children suffering in the same way her child did, she said.
MORE STORIES
“Children are witnessing arrests and beatings,” she said. “They’re witnessing things that is far beyond what we would expect our children at this age to be witnessing.”
She said some incidents have involved the school implementing its secure-school or lockdown protocols.
“The lockdown itself is traumatic because they don’t know really what’s going on.”
It’s terrifying for the children and the parents who are getting texts from their scared children, she said.
When it’s over, the students are told to resume normal classroom activities, she said.
“There’s no followup either to help these children cope with the fear that was just the lockdown.”
NOT ENOUGH COMMUNICATION
Ellsworth says the communication families receive on these incidents is lacking, as parents are only told the school had to implement its secure-school protocols and that the matter is resolved.
In February, the school sent two emails to parents advising of incidents that had occurred. Saltwire has obtained copies of those emails.
On Feb. 1, the school advised families of an incident involving two students that resulted in emergency personnel being called to the school. The email said one of the students was treated for non-lifethreatening injuries.
On Feb. 20, the school said it had to enact its secureschool protocol after staff became aware of an individual in possession of potential weapons. The RNC was called to the school and an individual was taken into custody and removed from school property.
In this case, the email said, students and staff remained in their classrooms and continued with their studies.
In both cases, the emails said that due to privacy obligations, the school was unable to provide any other information. Questions or concerns could be directed to the school’s administration.
ONE INCIDENT RESULTED IN CHARGES
On Feb. 2, the RNC said it had charged two youth in connection with the Feb. 1 incident.
A girl, 14, was charged with assault and a boy, 15, was charged with assault causing bodily harm.
A press release from the RNC said officers responded to the school after receiving a report of a disturbance. They said a boy, 14, had been assaulted inside the school.
Saltwire has been unable to confirm if there are any other charges against youth that are related to the school.
WANTS TO HELP
Ellsworth and many of the parents who have joined the group have contacted the school and Nlschools with their concerns.
“Obviously, there are a lot of issues,” said Ellsworth.
She added the group is hoping to be constructive and help the school in some way.
“Just really work with the school and the school board to figure out how we can make it so that our children aren’t scared to go to school,” she said.
“We want to work with the school and try to understand what resources currently exist there, what resources exist in the community. Because this goes far beyond the school, too. This is a community issue and there’s people within this group now who don’t even have a child there.”
BEGGING FOR SOLUTIONS
She said parents are begging for solutions and want to be part of making change happen.
It could be through identifying ways the school could implement new policies, she said, changing existing ones or helping to bring in community supports.
The group is pushing for an alternative school setting for students accused of having committed offences against other students or who have been suspended, somewhere they can receive support and still do the school curriculum.
SURVEY
On March 21, the school sent an email to families informing them that Nlschools is launching a support and safety survey.
“Our organization is aware of concerns being voiced by CBI community members through a variety of platforms. Nlschools recognizes that the safety of our communities is a shared responsibility among all its participants, including families, law enforcement, school staff as well as others,” said the email.
In order to understand the issue and provide the best possible response for the school community, it asked for families to complete the survey to share their concerns and experiences they feel are affecting student well-being, mental health and physical health.
Families have until Friday, March 29, to complete the survey.
‘UNABLE TO SPEAK’
Saltwire asked the Department of Education for comment on the issues at CBI, but the department said an interview was not possible.
In an emailed response, it said, “The Department of Education is unable to speak on specific situations at schools due to privacy reasons, but we take the issue of bullying and harassment in schools very seriously and work to ensure a safe environment of students, teachers and administrators.
“However, the department can confirm that Corner Brook Intermediate is staffed appropriately and that there is a dedicated team of educators working with the school on concerns related to bullying and harassment.”