Protests in Support of Sexual Assault Victims Held at Calgary High Schools – Calgary | The Canadian News

After two strikes at Calgary high schools last week, two more protests were held on Monday by students alleging that the school administration under the Calgary Board of Education is not doing enough to support the victims. of sexual assault.

The protests took place at Henry Wise Wood High School in the Southwest and Centennial High School in Sundance.

Some students have said that allegations of sexual violence have been reported to school staff, however they say there has been a lack of response.

The discomfort now seems to be growing.

Including Monday’s events, there have now been four protests in less than a week, with demonstrations previously held at Western Canada High School and Central Memorial High School.

The protests are expected to take place at William Aberhart High School on Tuesday and at St. Francis High School on Friday.

1:54Calgary high school students drop out of classes due to sexual violence

Students who attended the Centennial protest say the change was long overdue.

“We feel like they aren’t listening to us and we deserve to be heard,” says Adara Edison. “The way things have gone with the sexual assault and rape cases is not right.”

Edison says part of Monday morning’s protest was to show solidarity with other Calgary high schools.

“Seeing that other schools are protesting, that means it’s a problem, and it’s not just our school.”

In a statement to Global News, Alberta’s education ministry said: “All students deserve to feel safe in their schools, and school authorities must provide safe and supportive learning environments.”

The statement said that if the recently introduced Students First Act is passed, it will “enhance student safety while ensuring transparency and accountability in disciplinary processes for teachers and teacher leaders.”

The CBE says it takes concerns raised by students seriously and is committed to listening to learn more.

The Calgary Police Service says it is aware of ongoing protests about how allegations of sexual assault are handled, adding that it takes any report reported to police seriously.