Talk of tolerance follows fighting at Duncan schools

Eight students suspended due to violence at Cowichan Secondary

A series of fights this week involving students at Cowichan Secondary School has sparked a conversation about racism in the area, and has Cowichan Tribes leaders hoping for a meeting with students next week.

The fights brought an immediate response from Cowichan Tribes Chief William (Chip) Seymour and Cowichan Valley Regional District superintendent Rod Allen, who stressed their opposition to any type of fighting, bullying or harassment. RCMP officers were at the school Tuesday as a safety measure.

Cowichan Secondary School has 1,400 students on two campuses. The fight, video of which was shared online, took place at the James Street campus.

Seymour said eight students were suspended due to the violence, which involved First Nations and white students.

Two of the youths, who happen to be teammates on a school rugby team, have already made up, he said.

A post on the Cowichan Valley school district Facebook page shows the two students standing side-by-side with the caption, “It is over!” in reference to their fight.

“After the fight, these two boys sorted it out,” the post says, adding that the disagreement between them was not about race.

Seymour said there has been too much use of the word “racism” around the community in association with the fights.

“We have no idea why these boys were fighting,” he said. “What we want to do is quiet down the talk.”

Allen had similar comments: “We don’t have a lot of evidence to suggest this was along racial lines, but that’s the community dialogue.”

That makes it important to address racism and any other concerns being voiced, said Cowichan Valley school board chairwoman Candace Spilsbury.

She said the incident attracted widespread attention.

“It’s different this time because normally the community doesn’t get so involved in what is happening in our schools,” she said.

A joint statement issued Thursday by Spilsbury, Seymour, Duncan Mayor Phil Kent and North Cowichan Mayor Jon Lefebure said that they do not want racism “to define our community.”

“The solution to this issue is one that we collectively have a role in,” the statement said. “Together, we want to be clear — racism in our schools and in our community is simply not acceptable.”

Kent said there is unity among those involved.

“We want to stress as community leaders that we stand shoulder to shoulder on this,” he said. “Tolerance and kindness are important in this community.”

He said people in the area realize that, “but incidents like this show there are things that still need to be addressed.”

“Conversation and dialogue are the solution,” Kent said.

He said there are some school programs aimed at addressing racism, “but it is clear they are not reaching all students.”

Seymour said that getting to the bottom of things is just beginning. “We have a lot of work ahead of us.”