Reporting school crime principal’s call, says board
It is a principal’s decision whether to report any apparent crimes on school property to police, says P.E.I. English Language School Board superintendent Cynthia Fleet.
Fleet was responding to questions from CBC News about a video that went viral, attracting millions of views, showing a fight on the grounds of Three Oaks High School in Summerside. Fleet said she could not comment on the specific incident until the police investigation is over, but explained the board’s policy.
"An investigation would begin at the school level and then a determination is made if something might be of a criminal nature, and that could be theft, injury, fighting whatever, and if something is deemed to possibly be of a criminal nature then it would be referred to the police for investigation,” she said.
The video was posted Dec. 24 and the school principal learned about it over the holidays. The police investigation began Jan. 4, after an anonymous tip.
Fleet said discipline, including suspension, in incidents such as this is decided on a case-by-case basis, based on how significant the incident is, and the history of the student or students involved.
If a principal needs a second opinion, she said, a school supervisor can be called in.
